A Change of Heart
by beautiful innuendo
Summary: When Ginny returns to Hogwarts for her last year she finds that she's been selected for the Marriage Law- as a pureblood to Snape's half-blood. Chaos ensues and two people try to learn how to love. ABANDONED
1. Leaving

"Hey, Gin, wait up!" Hermione called, skipping down the steps from the upper level. In her arms were a set of robes, a bra and a pair of panties.

"Morning 'Mione." I said, pausing for her to catch up.

"So, first year at Hogwarts without any brothers: how does it feel?" Hermione giggled, linking her arm with mine as we walked back to my bedroom so that I could grab my trunk.

"Fantastic. I'm more than excited that you'll be there too though."

"Can you believe it? I'm only nineteen and an assistant professor."

"You're smart enough. And poor Professor Binns needs all the help he can get. You'll have to do a strip tease before they pay attention!" I said, nudging her with my shoulder.

"Great, thanks." she said drolly. I shoved some last minute things into my luggage and snapped them closed. I laid down on the ground, trying to locate my kitten.

"Welcome." I said as I captured a ball of black fur. Guinevere purred happily, kneading her paws into my arms. She wasn't too happy when I shoved her into the cat carrier.

"Hey, let's say we just apparate to Hogwarts. You don't have to ride that smelly train again this year without us!"

"Oh, awesome, thanks babe." I said, kissing her cheek to show my admiration. She flushed red and I laughed.

"No problem. Just let me take this awful potion."

"Professor Snape is so brilliant! I can't believe he would perfect something like the polyjuice in his spare time! He helped defeat Voldemort, was a spy, taught potions and still had the time to enhance a highly volatile potion." I said, watching Hermione place a curly black hair into the vial. It bubbled violently, threatening to spill over.

"Remind me to kill Professor-erm, Minerva when I see her next. Really, she thought it was necessary for me to change my appearance for the sake of some students being touchy. Honestly." Hermione ranted.

"Just take the potion."

"Bottoms up." she said, upturning the vial into her mouth. She shivered and then convulsed forward, her limbs shaking as they gained length. Her hands elongated, the fingers becoming more elegant, the arms longer and thinner. Hermione no longer had the upper arms that she had become quite vain of, in their place were model-esque ones, tapering to smaller set shoulders and a longer neck. Her torso made the biggest leap, changing from Hermione's slightly more voluptuous figure, although she was fat by no means, to a thinner one, her hips flaring more gently from a tapered waist and her breasts shrinking a good cup size and a half, more towards a B than a D. Her face and hair morphed too, the hair on her head was now longer, laying in loose curls to her shoulder blades. Her skin lightened several shades and her normally brown eyes faded to pale blue. Her lips were fuller, her cheekbones higher and her eyes were wider, set with dark lashes under brows as black as her hair topping them.

"Damn, Hermione. You definitely did pick a winner!" I said, gaping at her.

"Thanks. She was a salesgirl at Herrod's in London and I thought she was just yummy. So I had Harry work his wily charms on her and they ended up making out in a coffee shop a block down. He managed to get a good many of her hairs for me." Hermione smiled, "I'm just interested to see what my new body looks like!"

"Is it odd that I'm slightly interested?" I asked, giggling as Hermione took off her now loose and too short tee shirt.

"Not really. It's not like it's my body. It's a strange feeling, you know." she said, appraising her flat tummy, "Go ahead, sate your curiosity."

"Really?" I asked, feeling a little bit strange at wanting to see my best friend naked.

"Gin, really. It's not like you'd be lusting over my real body." she laughed, pulling down her sleep pants patterned in yellow ducks. I didn't say anything as she unhooked her own very much larger bra to reveal small, high perfectly formed breasts. The nipples weren't darker pinkish brown like I had expected, but very pale pink and small. The panties came down to reveal a very lightly haired pubis and a very shapely arse.

"You'll never get the boys to pay attention like that, 'Mione." I said, laughing. The new panties went on and she looped her arms through the new bra.

"Hook me?" she asked, gesturing to the straps.

"Sure." I obliged and we got the garment straightened out. She pulled the black teaching robes she had to wear over her underclothes and stood back for me to look. The robes were nice, with a high necked collar with about twenty small fabric colored buttons leading down to just under her bust. There was no real waist and the fabric just formed an A-Line dress from there, flowing to the tops of her bare feet. The sleeves were long and snug with a pointed cuff accompanied by more of those buttons.

"I think it looks pretty nice." she said, turning around in my mirror. She smoothed the dress and looked at me for my advice.

"Agreed." I said, "What name have you decided on?"

"I think I'll go with Jane Young, like I thought before."

"Why not something more interesting like Serepta Monpellion?"

"Because I've always wanted a normal name. Hermione is so wretched."

"But Jane Young is so boring. You could at least go out on a limb and do something like Raquel Young or Jane Carrington." I picked up the end of my trunk and Hermione picked up Guinevere, who was yowling steadily in her carrier.

"Fine. Just pick a name for me, I don't really care." She laughed as we levitated the baggage down the stairs into the kitchen.

"All right, let's go with Tatiana Gatsby." I said.

"Tatiana Gatsby?"

"Yeah. Tatiana's a nice name and 'The Great Gatsby' is my favorite novel."

"As good as any." she said as my mother came into the room, "Morning, Molly."

"Hermione?" she asked.

"Minerva asked me to not look like myself, remember?" she said, smiling.

"Oh yes, dear, I remember now. Are you and Ginny apparating to Hogwarts this year?" she asked. I swear, my mother knows us too well.

"Is that all right, Mum?"

"It's fine, Ginny. You girls go along and I'll send your luggage in a little while to your rooms." Mum dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her sweater.

"I'll be seeing you." I said, hugging her.

"I know, you're just the last one to finish Hogwarts and it's rather emotional, you see."

"I'll take care of her, won't I Gin?" Hermione said, putting another arm around Mum.

"Oh, you'd best be getting off, won't you?" she said, worrying her cardigan edge.

"I'll see you soon, Mum. I love you."

"Be careful." she said, dabbing at her eyes again.

With a POP Hermione and I reappeared at the Hogwarts' Gates. I looked up at the castle and smiled. It was good to be home. We walked up the path, relishing the sunshine that we knew would be gone soon. We walked past the graves by the lake, knowing that Hogwarts would never be the same after last year. I trailed my fingers across the white tomb of Dumbledore's and closed my eyes for the rest.

"Doing all right?" Hermione asked me

"It's still strange. Voldemort was a part of every year of Hogwarts until now. And now, my seventh year, he's gone. It's so surreal."

"I know."

We remained silent until we got to the front doors.

"Ready?" I asked, putting my hand on the handle.

"As I'll ever be." she smiled bravely. I opened the door to an empty foyer. Hermione sighed in relief. I saw her tense when a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Professor Snape. He strode towards us, looking from me to Hermione quizzically.

"Miss Granger?" he inquired softly.

"Yes sir, it's me." she said.

"I assumed that since you were with Miss Weasley that it was you."

"Congratulations on your enhanced polyjuice. It seems to be working very well." I commented, admiration shining in my eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Weasley. The enhancement was in actuality a lot simpler than I was expecting. I used several more complex processes until I realized that it was a very straightforward solution." he said, bowing his head slightly in thanks. Where was Professor Snape and what had this imposter done with him?

"I'll leave you to your potions discussion then, Ginny, Professor. I must go see the Headmistress."

"It's Severus." he said silkily.

"Then it must be Hermione to you when we're in private. Other than that it's Tatiana Gatsby." she said, smiling at him.

"All right, Hermione." he said, bowing to her again as she left.

"If you don't wish to speak to me about your potion any longer, it's all right Professor." I said meekly.

"It's quite all right. I'd like to hear your ideas on more perfections. I haven't even tried pitching it for sales yet, there's something not entirely right. It's perfectly fine as is, but I'd like to figure a way to make the transformation less painful."

"You're serious?" I gaped

"Close your mouth, Miss Weasley, you're liable to catch flies."

"It's just that you're usually so…well, you're usually not nice."

"Not nice, Miss Weasley?" he smirked evilly.

"Well, more snarky than not nice." I tried to remove my foot from my mouth to no avail.

And then, Professor Severus Snape did something that I have never witnessed.

He laughed.

"Come now, we've saved each other's lives in battle. I've lived solitarily for so long that I'd like company every now and again."

I gaped.

"I'm extending a hand of friendship, Miss Weasley. I'd very much like for you to take it. But be warned, I really am not a totally nice man."

I stayed silent.

"Would you like to see my notes on the polyjuice?" he sighed.

I mutely shook my head in the affirmative.

"Come on then."

I followed Snape down the steps, staying a good three treads behind him. Who was this man? I started fearing for my life when he took a left turn into a dark corridor. I sighed audibly when the lights rose up and I realized that we were headed for the library. He led me through past the restricted section to one of the study rooms. The wards were dropped on the wooden door and he opened it for me, allowing me passage before him.

The room that he let me into was comfortable, two blue upholstered armchairs rested in front of a large curved window with a cushioned seat in it. A mahogany coffee table sat between the chairs. The floor was dark wood with plush looking brown and teal Persian rugs scattered about. Then it dawned on me where I was when I looked over at Snape and saw him leaning against the mantle of the fireplace.

I was in Snape's private quarters.

"I shouldn't be here." I stammered.

"It's fine, Miss Weasley." He said, moving to another door. He moved to open it and I jumped nearly a foot into the air. "Just come in here and we can talk about the potion."

_Not his bedroom, not his_ _bedroom! _I prayed as his fingers closed over the knob.

"I really have to go, Professor. I'm sorry." I said, getting up and running for the door.

"Miss Weasley!" He called. I didn't even look over my shoulder when he called my name. I flung open the door and ran. I ran until I almost collided with another body in the hallway.

"Wotcher, Ginny?" Tonks said, grasping my shoulders to keep my from falling, "What are you running away from?"

"Professor Snape!" I cried, looking over my shoulder to see if he had followed me.

"What are you running from Snape for?" she asked, peering down the corridor as well.

"Well, he was acting strangely. He offered to show me his research on the enhanced polyjuice and he took me to his private chambers! Then he wanted me to go into the other room with him! That's when I ran! Oh, Tonks, I ran for my life! He's gone mad, he has." I gasped, slightly out of breath.

"What did he say to you? He's a right bat and if he said anything mean to you, I'll hex 'im!" Tonks was livid, her hair turning bright crayon red with her anger.

"That's the problem, Tonks. He wasn't mean. He wanted my opinion on the potion. He was nice. He laughed for Merlin's sake!"

"He what?" Her face and hair went white.

"He laughed."

"You're kidding me, Gins."

"I'm not. He laughed. And it wasn't a bad laugh either. It was a nice laugh."

"Please be kidding?"

I shook my head no.

"Mercy." She choked, leaning on the wall for support.

"I wish I could. Come on, let's go to the Great Hall for some lunch." I said, taking her arm and leading her towards the doors.

"I was trying to find you, Ginny, when I ran into you. There's a copy of the Daily Prophet and you've got to see what's on the front page." Tonks gasped, remembering why she was trying to find her.

"All right. Let's see this article." I said, opening the door. Within moments Hermione was at my side, clutching the offending paper.

"Gins, oh my God, you have to see this." Hermione cried, her face wet with tears.

"All right, all right, let me see it." I took the paper from her and sat down. The headline rang out to me.

_MARRIAGE LAW PASSES_

_In a 44-7 vote in the Wizagamot the Marriage Law has been passed. This law, affecting pure bloods and people of muggle or half muggle descent, will go into effect immediately. In an effort to boost the rate of magical births, one member of a pure blood family and one muggle-born of half-muggle will be matched accordingly to possibility that they will produce magical offspring. Only one person from each family will be selected for this first trial. Foreign Nationals and part-magical beasts such as veela, wherewolves etcetera will not be included. Matches have already been made and will be owled to the affected members within the day. This is a great step for…_

_See Marriage Law, page 3A_

"What a funny joke- did Fred and George put you up to this?" I laughed, looking from Tonks to Hermione. They stayed silent. "Well?"

"It's not a joke, Ginny." Hermione managed to choke out.

"Very funny, really. Excellent acting." I said, looking to Tonks.

"Gins." She said

"It's not a joke." I said, slowly and evenly, letting the realization set in.

"No, it's not a joke." Tonks said gently.

"Well, I've got a five out of six chance of not being chosen." I laughed nervously, "Bill's already married and Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and I aren't. I guess the odds are for me."

"I've already gotten mine." Hermione said softly, looking up at me and handing me the letter. I unfurled the scroll and looked at the name at the top.

"Seamus Finnigan?" I marveled, "What about Lavender?"

"I don't know, Gins, I haven't spoken to him yet. He'll be devastated. Ministry put a ban on non approved weddings this morning, before the law was released. They won't even be able to marry."

"They must be doing this in alphabetical order." Tonks said, "I've not gotten mine. I hope I don't though."

As if on cue, two large tawny ministry owls swept in from the open windows.

"Here we go." Hermione said.

"Two? There's only Ginny and I in the room without one." The owls drew nearer. One abruptly veered off course, heading for the door out. We looked over our shoulders to see Professor Snape walk in the door. As my head was turned, I felt an own land on my shoulder.

"Oh, Gins, I'm sorry." Hermione said, a fresh wave of tears coming to her eyes.

"I'd better face the music now, I suppose." I took the letter and the owl flew off immediately, not even waiting for a reply or treat.

I broke the silver ministry seal and opened the packet. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

The name Severus Snape stared at me.

I started to laugh, really laugh this time. I had to seat myself at the table that I was by and put my head down. I was not steady on my legs. I laughed until tears came. They came in torrents, rushing in waves down my face. My body shook and my stomach ached. But I kept laughing. My face was red and my eyes were wet but I couldn't stop. Soon the laughter turned to hysterics, the tears never ceasing and they went into full blown sobs.

"Miss Weasley!" I heard Snape's voice say to me, rather sharply, "Miss Weasley!"

"They want me to marry you!" I howled, reverting to laughter again, "I'm seventeen and they expect me to marry you! You're old enough to be my father! And we have to consummate it!"

"Miss Weasley, come with me." He said, putting his hand on my bare forearm.

I couldn't reply, I just laughed.

"Ginevra Weasley!" Snape took me by the shoulders and shook me slightly. I sobered and looked up at him, saying just one thing before Hermione stupefied me.

"Imagine our children. My red hair and freckles and your nose."


	2. Just Not Good, Either

"Gins, it's really not that bad." Hermione said to me, smoothing my hair from my face as I pouted.

"Oh really?" she gave me a 'look'.

"At least you have to sleep with someone you are friends with!" I snapped, folding my arms over my chest.

"Seamus? He's besotted with Lavender- They're engaged! How would you feel? I'm breaking up a marriage! A marriage, Ginevra!"

"I have to nail Snape." I cried, as if having to sleep with Snape justified everything.

"At least Seamus is highly attractive."

"At least Seamus is attractive at all." I snorted.

"He's brilliant, Snape is. And not _terrible _looking, per say." Hermione sputtered, trying to make the situation better.

"Not terrible? As in good?"

"No, not good…just not terrible."

"Great." I said flatly.

"Have a bit of tea, Gins. Maybe some chocolate?" Tonks opened the door from the main room into the bedroom where Hermione and I were lounging on Snape's bed. That's where he had dumped me when we reached his rooms. That door that he was going to take me through was not his bedroom, by the by. It really was a nice bed, all done up in deep blue and silver bed hangings. The furniture, surprisingly, was not painted black, but instead a rich cherry wood. I looked up and closed my eyes after taking in the depiction of the swirling Milky Way on the slatted wooden top of the canopy bed. I pulled the blanket through my fingers and felt the smooth high-count cotton. The room was immaculate, as I had expected, but not bare bones. Little statuettes, vases, curios and sculptures adorned the opposite wall in built-in cubbies around the fireplace, which was burning small and steady. All in all not the cot and light bulb hanging from a string dungeon room we had all imagined.

"Thanks, Tonks." I said, sitting up. She sat the tea set on the trunk at the end of the bed and the three of us indulged in the sweet rooibos tea and chunks of dark chocolate.

"So, you want me to kill Snape? Or the Minister of Magic? Or both?"

"Both." Hermione and I said in unison. We looked at each other and laughed.

"With all my combat training," she paused to buff her nails on her shirt, "I should be able to take them down rather easily."

The three of us sat in amicable silence as we drank our tea and contemplated.

"Remus and I are done for." Tonks said, "The ministry will never sanction a marriage between a werewolf and a powerful auror witch of half blood descent. It wouldn't be in the plan."

"Oh, Tonks, I'm sorry. Neither of us were attached, we've been so insensitive." Hermione said, wrapping her arm around Tonks' shoulders.

"Seriously lame situation." I said, summing up all of our feelings.

"Well, at least there's no fidelity charms on the couples. I can live with Remus and continue our lives as long as I bear a child. Remus and I could raise it. It could be all right. Nothing says the couples have to like each other or even get along or live together. I'm bound to be chosen some time." She sighed

"That's what Seamus and I could do! We can go to a muggle fertility specialist and Lavender's eggs and Seamus' sperm could be implanted in my womb! That way, they can still have their own baby. Oh, I can't wait to tell him the good news." Hermione exclaimed, hurrying from the bed, "I've just got to go owl him, sorry girls, I'll be back later."

"See you." I called at her retreating back. I slumped back against the pillows again and put a lump of chocolate in my mouth and chewed sullenly.

"Buck up, Gins, it's not all that bad."

"I'm seventeen. I don't want a baby."

"I know, love."

"I don't want to have sex with Snape."

"Snape doesn't want to have sex with you either." Tonks said, sipping her tea.

"What?"

"I talked to him when I fixed the tea. He gave us the chocolate. It's from Spain. He said he didn't want to have to sleep with his student, he was very upset, really." She replied.

"How could you tell he was upset?"

"He didn't call me clumsy when I toppled over his green glass bowl. He just _Repairo_-ed it. Didn't say anything."

"Is he here?" I asked, putting my empty mug on the tray.

"No, he's gone to Gringott's, he said. I think he was picking up your wedding ring."

"No, no, no, no, no!" I said, pounding on the mattress, "I have to go through a wedding with him!"

"Yes, ma'am." She said, smirking at me, "And you have to consummate."

"The wedding of my dreams is supposed to be with Snape. He'll probably want bats and cobwebs as decorations. Does it get any worse?"

"There are good points to Snape, too."

"Really?"

"Really. He's brilliant. You'll probably have smart children. He'll never get clingy, he's too anti-social for that. And I've seen him without his shirt on." She ended triumphantly.

"That's good?" I asked skeptically, scrunching up my nose at her.

"Not an ounce of fat on him. Actually not terrible looking. He's only thirty-six."

"It was attractive? And when would you see this?"

"Remember when I got hypothermia from the meeting with the merpeople?" I nodded, "It was then. Severus was with me."

"So, what's he look like without those robes?" I asked, blushing

"He's got really pale skin, but it's niceish, and not a lot of hair, just a smattering. A lot of scars though, a really big one on his collarbone. Broad shoulders and decently toned arms. Not too skinny, not too muscled. He was built almost like a seeker, really. And an outie belly button."

"Outie?" I giggled, smiling once again.

"And besides, you know that he's loyal."

"OK, so not too bad. But that's all counter-balanced by the fact that he's my professor. He's Snape. He's got bad teeth and greasy hair and a hooky nose."

"But nice eyes and skin and body." Tonks countered playfully.

"What time is it?" I asked, searching for a clock.

"It's four o'clock."

"All the other students should be getting here soon. I'm a prefect this year, I'll have to be at the station in an hour and a half."

"Why don't you read this first. I'm going to go ready my classroom."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear? I'm teaching Transfiguration." She shot me a smile before leaving, "Snape should be here in a half an hour or so."

"Thanks, Tonks." I said gratefully. I settled back into Snape's bed and opened the letter again.

_Must be married within a months time…immediate consummation is required…no contraceptives allowed…a child must be born within 21 months or the couple will be subject to a physical and then reassigned…_

"Miss Weasley?" A knock came to the door. It was Snape.

"Yes?" I said, rolling up the missive.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Come on in." I said and the door opened and he stepped in.

"May I express my apologies for scaring you this afternoon. It was not my intention. I simply wanted to show you the research." He sat facing me on the bed.

"It's all right. We have bigger things to worry about now." I said, covering one of his hands with mine.

"Miss Weasley-"

"It's going to have to be Ginny from now on." I said, sadly.

"Then it's Severus."

"Severus? Would it be all right if I just called you Snape? It would be less foreign for a while."

"Snape will do for now, I suppose. Any way, Ginny, there is nothing that can be done for this situation. There is no way that the law will be repealed within the month and we will have to be married."

"The consummation…" I trailed.

"Is unavoidable. I could brew a polyjuice for myself so that it would be more comfortable for you. I understand that I am, ah, less than desirable, being old enough to be your father, as you so eloquently put it." He smirked, raising a black brow.

"The polyjuice will not be necessary." I said, blushing

"I must as, Miss Weas-"

"Ginny."

"Ginny. I must ask, Ginny, the status of your maidenhead?" he blushed and averted his eyes.

"Maidenhead?" I shook my head, peering quizzically at him.

"Do you have experience with men?" He continued to stare at the blanket he was worrying.

"Do you mean have I lost my virginity? I haven't, I'm only seventeen!" I cried, looking away from him as well.

"I have been tested and I'm clean." He said, turning even redder behind his curtain of hair.

"I assume that you have experience?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Quite a lot?" I asked, chewing my lip.

"Yes."

"Fuck." I said, starting to panic.

"What is it? I'm not so dreadfully whorish that I'm too dirty to touch." He spat.

"It's not that! You're my first and I'm not yours! I'm going to be awful and you'll be just fine!"

"It's been a long time, Ginny." He was quiet, his eyes glittering with anger

"Oh yeah, how long?" I challenged

"Three years." He replied, replying with just as much malice as I

"Really? Seventeen for me!"

"No need to remind me that you're a child!"

"I'm not a child! I'm woman enough."

"Not as woman as some of the women I've been with!"

"Right, like Bellatrix Lestrange! Some other Death Eater Bitch!" I cried, verbally smacking him.

"You'd be wanting dear Potter to de-flower you, wouldn't you?" He grabbed my by the shoulder and pulled me close to him.

"Anything would be better that a greasy old bat like you!"

"Listen, Weasley, I told you that I'm not totally a nice man, but I would like your company. We'll have sex once and conceive a child and I'll take the baby. No need to bother you!"

"Like I would give you my baby!" I said, my face flushing.

"I don't want a silly little girl to care for my only heir!"

"Then it seems that we are at an impass!"

"I only came in here to see if you were all right and give you this bloody ring. So, here!" He screamed, getting up from the bed and fishing in his pocket for a parcel. He chucked the velveteen covered box at me and it hit me on the shoulder. "Take it!"

He swept out the door and it slammed in his wake.

I opened the box, a twisted band of rose, yellow and white gold encasing a large square diamond.

"That's more like it, Snape.

"What did you say?" Snape bellowed, throwing open the door once more

"I said, 'THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!' if you insist on knowing." I retorted, opening up the letter again and pretending to read.

"You're wretched. I don't know why I ever thought that you would be able to have the potential to even understand the complex world of potions. I should not have even bothered you." He said, just as sharply.

"Well, I don't have anywhere else to go. I'm staying here. These are going to be our quarters soon anyway!"

"You're never going to be living with me, you ignorant sulking ninny!"

"I wouldn't choose to live with you if you were the last person alive and I had to live with someone in fear that wolves would eat me! I would rather live with Gilderoy Lockheart!" I stifled the urge to stick my tongue out at him by biting the offending organ to keep it in my mouth.

"I dislike you immensely." He said boldly, plainly, "I'm sure that this will make for some fantastic angry fucking."

I watched his mouth, listening to the vile words fall from his tongue. His silky voice wrapped around my throat, choking back worse rebuttals. Watching Snape say fuck was a bigger turn-on than I ever thought it would be.

"Oh, I'll sleep with you once, I vow that, but never again." I said this and Snape started fuming, his face turning redder with every successive breath that he took.

"Insufferable." He muttered.

"Oh, Professor, you look hot, maybe you should take off that awful frock coat that t you always wear." I sneered.

"I will not require disrobing." He said, flicking his hair out of his eyes. Dark eyes, beautiful eyes, set into a face twisted with bitterness.

"Do you even have a body under all those clothes? I'm surprised, you might as well just have hands and a head, nothing between them." I wanted to infuriate this man, make him angry. Make him angry and surprisingly, bed him.

"I have a body that is better clothed."

"Possible." I smirked. He seemed to be taken aback at this and I took the opportunity that I did not know what I was waiting for.

I kissed him. I covered his thin, angry set lips with mine and I kissed him.

He reeled in surprise, almost toppling back over his bedside table.

"What was that for?" he asked, his face flushing almost nicely.

"You're my Fiancé. I'll kiss you if I like." I replied smugly.

"Maybe you aught to give my first name a try before you kiss me senseless."

An idea sparked in my eyes, a way of retribution, "_Ssssseverusss._" I purred, getting off the bed.

He stood stoically, "It's not going to work, Weasley. I suggest that we forget that today happened. We'll start over after dinner. You will meet me here at six thirty."

"I might." I said, breezily walking from the room

zZzZzZzZzZz

"Hogwarts!" The conductor called over the bellow of the whistle, "Hogwarts!"

The doors were opened and students streamed out, chattering and talking amongst themselves. I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead. It had been a long day.

"Hello, Ginny." Trinity Smith, Slytherin Prefect, waved to me from across the platform

"Hey Trinity!" I called back, "What happened in the Prefect's meeting?"

"Nothing much, just discussions about the dormitories and new rules." Trinity arrived at my side.

"Who's Head Boy and Girl?" I asked, ushering students into the threstral pulled carriages.

"It's Euan Abercrombie from Hufflepuff and Janine Levine from Slytherin this year. They seem nice enough, I had Herbology with Euan in fifth year."

"I had Transfiguration with him last term." I said.

"I assume that you weren't affected by the marriage law- all those brothers come in handy! I was skipped over, but that's only because I'm still a Canadian national. They don't ask you to declare citizenship until you're eighteen."

"Lucky you. As for me, I didn't fare too well." I said, climbing at last into a carriage myself. One other prefect, Molly MacMoran from Hufflepuff was in the coach already.

"Oh, Ginny, I'm so sorry." Trinity said, patting my hand, "Who have you got?"

"Oh, Trinity, you'll die when you hear. I want to see your face when it's announced at dinner! It's ridiculous, really. I'm thankful that all I have to do it have a baby. Sex only once with that conception potion, thank Merlin." I said, waving her inquiry away.

"It must be terrible." She gasped.

"I'll just keep him behind a curtain with a little whole for him to stick it through when we have to do it." I giggled

"That bad?"

"That bad." I lied to myself.

Soon enough we were seated in the Great Hall. Not a whole lot had changed since the year before, but I found that instead of the four long tables there were now three dozen smaller round tables in their place, seating ten at each.

"Attention, please. Will everyone clear our of four tables for the incoming first years?" we scrambled, the odd Ravenclaw sitting with a table of nine Hufflepuffs welcomed into the fold. I ended up at a table with six Gryffindors and four Ravenclaws. Bravo, McGonogall, Bravo. That's the way to do interhouse relations.

"Thank you. Welcome to a new year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please welcome the new first years."

"Were we ever that small?" I whispered to Helen Rialto, the Ravenclaw sitting next to me.

"No, never." She giggled.

We put our hands together for them and soon the forty little buggers were sorted. The Headmistress stood again, clinking her knife against her water goblet.

"I am pleased to introduce you to our new faculty this year, Professor Leandra Wilkes, Defense Against the Dark Arts; Professor Tatiana Gatsby, Assistant History of Magic;" Hermione and I shared a wink, "Professor Jacob Altair, Care of Magical Creatures; and Professor-ouch!-erm…Professor Tonks, Transfiguration. In addition to that, a complete list of rules and contraband will be posted outside Mr. Filch's office for anyone confused. I will now get to the meat of this announcement to acknowledge several couples in our midst that have been affected by the marriage law."

A general murmur of dissatisfaction rose up from the students. I glanced up at the head table and saw Snape scowling. I smirked, getting ready for the amusement of Snape and my wedding to be revealed.

"Attention, please." She paused, "Thank you. The first couple that I have to announce is Hannah Gentry, sixth year Ravenclaw and Marcus Lolem, seventh year Hufflepuff. Second is Marcia Blaine, seventh year Hufflepuff and Edmund Roverto, seventh year Gryffindor. Third is Thomas Lowther, Slytherin seventh year and Hannah Abbot, Hogwarts Alumnus. Seventh year Gryffindor Prefect, Ginevra Weasley, betrothed to Professor Severus Snape."

A general outcry arose from the students, looks of sympathy were heaped on me. I looked through the crowd for Trinity. I found her with my eyes and took in her shocked appearance. I laughed again. Hermione gave me a sharp look and I slowed my laughter. Snape glared at me, per usual.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts." I muttered before digging into my meal.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

Headmistress McGonogall led the eight seventh year prefects down the third floor corridor to the statue of Barnibas the Barmy. One merely shakes his right hand and says the password to gain access to our dormitory. Trinity and I, thankfully, were paired together, leaving Molly MacMoran to deal with living with Luna. The eight of us were led into the sitting room. The setting sun was shining in the large picture window at the opposite end of the room. The room was painted in a deep cerulean blue with wooden molding and a thick white carpet. The furniture consisted of two sofas and several chairs spread about the room facing the fireplace. They were cream cloth upholstered with silver, gold, bronze and black throw pillows and a few thick white afghans. Molly, Luna, Trinity and I were lead to a door to the left while the boys went to the other side of the room to the right. We stepped up three low stone treads and into a hall. A door to the right, a door to the left and a door dead ahead greeted us. The door to the left was engraved with Trinity's initials and mine. We went in and were met with a room also with plush white carpet and crisp white linens. The walls were of river rock and there were exposed beams on the ceiling. Two desks stood back to back along a wall

Trinity and I settled in to unpack our belongings. Soon enough the sun started to set. I groaned and looked at the clock beside my bed.

"Great. It's six thirty." I said, getting off my comfortable bed and pulling on a jumper.

"Going to see your lover?" Trinity called as she arranged her books in the built in shelves on her desk.

"Unfortunately." I moaned, tying my shoes.

"I'll see you then. I assume that you'll be back tonight?"

"Trin!" I gasped. She just laughed me out of the room. I jogged out of the room.

As if signifying everything that my day had been, I tripped going down the three steps into the sitting room, falling and giving both my knees rug burns.

It sucks to be me.


	3. Tea and Conversation

"Please, come in." Snape said as he opened the door to his quarters, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Was that rooibos that Tonks made earlier?" I asked, trying to ease a smile of amicability onto my face.

"Yes- you enjoyed it?" he said, arching a black brow.

"I would love a cup of that." I said, sliding off my heavy jumper.

"Sit down, I'll make it." he said, gesturing to the cushy sofa in front of the fire. I walked in, taking in the soft lighting from lamps on the side tables and the fireplace. I sat down, pulling my feet under me after I slipped off my shoes. I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

"You look tired." He said. I didn't open my eyes but I heard the tea cups settle on the table and felt the sofa dip where he sat beside me.

"I am, aren't you? I asked

"Not really. I'm not feeling as stressed as you certainly are."

"Are you not worried about marrying a stranger?"

"Ginny, I'm almost forty and I have no heir, either male or female. I understand that you do not like me and that this will be trying for you. But if I get a child that I can love out of the deal, I'll manage the awkward situations. I do hope that we might be able to be friends though." Snape spoke frankly and I felt a tingle of empathy for this man.

"I'm quite a bit younger," I said, taking a sip of my tea, "and I have quite a bit of growing up to do. But Tonks pointed out some things to me that I had not realized. We are marginally well suited to each other. I don't have near the brilliance that you do and I don't understand potions to the extent that you do. But I like to think that I'm marginally smart and I do enjoy potions. I like reading, which I know you enjoy, but my tastes run more towards fiction and the classics than to non-fiction or scholarly journals. We both have tempers and have kind of been alone a lot. I was raised in a big family and I tended to get lost in the crowd and you were just alone with yourself a lot. Defense Against the Dark Arts holds a great interest to me as well, I was a founding member of the DA, remember?"

"I remember. I think it's necessary to at least try to get along for our child's sake." Snape looked over at me and took my hand, "I think that you're attractive and humorous, Ginny, and I wish that we would not have been thrust into this situation. But we cannot avoid it. If you run away from this, they'll just pick another of your brothers. And if I do, you might be faced with a worse husband. I just wanted to say that maybe we can take this opportunity to try to get along as well as we can. Although we cannot divorce, if we do not get along, I'll allow you to see other men if you so choose. I understand that you did not choose me and would not choose me otherwise. There's no use in you never finding love. If it is possible for us to get on amicably, might you allow me to try to court you as normal couples do?"

I smiled, thinking that only Snape could make a word like court sound nice, "We can try to do that. But for now we have much to consider."

"I am assuming that you are speaking of the wedding?"

"Unfortunately it has to be done. When would you like to do the deed?"

"Well, anytime before October 1st will be acceptable."

"I cannot do it past Monday next, until the third Monday of the month, at least. I think that you will find it less savory at that time." I said, blushing lightly.

"Thank you for that information. I think that I will be alright whenever you choose to be married. I only worry about the effects of the potion when you are on that particular time of the month."

"You don't find that distasteful?" I asked, puzzlement written clearly on my face.

"I know that this is a strange thing to think, but I find the time when you are most womanly to not be as you would say, a turn-off." It was his turn to blush.

"Well, the sooner the better. Let's try to did it this Saturday, we'll have all weekend to put off doing the consummation." I said, biting the bullet.

"I can arrange everything, if you would wish. There's a nice spot at my mother's ancestral home for a wedding. The gardens are quite nice, although I would have to send an elf out today of tomorrow in order to get them all sorted out in time for the wedding. If you find that to be pleasing?"

"That sounds nice." I said, thinking of a nice summer wedding. My only issue is that it was with a man that I did not know.

"Let's try to keep this small, your family, the order, some of the staff and our friends. I can have a list for your mother by tomorrow. I assume that she'll be wanting to deal with all of the particulars."

I sighed, "Probably."

"We'll need to make a trip into Diagon Alley soon, we both need things for the wedding. I think that we might come together? We'll split up and then meet again for dinner?"

"That sounds nice." I said, "When would you like to go?"

"I have free afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday. Are either of those available to you?" he asked, pouring me another cup. He offered a scone as well this time and I took it, biting into the sweet cinnamon pastry.

He waited until I finished chewing, smiling as I tried to hurry, "I've got Tuesday afternoons off, after one o'clock. On Thursday I've got Quidditch practice, we're going to be holding trials."

"Congratulations on becoming captain." he said, nodding his head in acknowledgement, "I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall at two on Tuesday?"

"I'll be sure to wear other robes. I won't want anyone to think that you're bedding a student." I chuckled nervously.

"I'll be paying for your purchases. We'll key you to my Gringott's account before the excursion." Snape said, looking sideways at me, eying my reaction.

"Thank you. I know better than to try to tell you not to. I don't have more than three knuts to my name." I said, pouring him another cup.

"You are welcome. You're going to be my wife, in name if not in action. I'll be taking care of you." I smiled and closed my eyes again. "Would you permit me to massage your back? You seem to need it."

I was taken aback at his offer but none the less I nodded in the affirmative. We shifted on the sofa and I sat with my legs under my as Snape- no, I need to get used to calling him by his name, as Severus brushed my hair over my left shoulder. His strong hands started kneading the column of my neck. I dropped my head and let his hands lull me into the stupor that only a good massage can give. His hands worked down the length of my back, pulling out all the tension that I'd been harboring since the morning. His hands spanned my waist, using his thumbs to work the tender knots there.

"Sciatica?" he asked, pressing along my lower back.

"Mmmhmmm." I said, leaning into his touch. He moved back up my back and onto my shoulders again, letting his fingers trail along the exposed flesh of my shoulders and neck.

I must have dozed off at some point because soon Snape-Severus was gently shaking me awake. I looked around and saw that it was past dusk. Severus smiled down at me. There was a soft brown chenille blanket covering me and I smiled back.

"What time is it?" I asked, bleary eyed.

"It's nearly nine." He said, "You fell asleep while I was rubbing your back. I've just been readying lesson plans for this term."

I noticed then that Severus was wearing a pair of black wire-framed glasses, "You wear glasses?"

"For reading." he said.

"I use a Wizometrist spell, I've got awful vision." I said, leaning back into the cushions again.

"You've been asleep for two hours almost. Maybe you'll want to get back to your room? Busy day in the morning." he suggested, clearing away the left-over scone plate and tea cups.

"Quite busy." I said, looking him up and down and starting to count the buttons up his chest. "I've never seen you wear anything other than that kind of robe."

"For a reason. They're easy to clean, very mix and match and I can pull on anything and they match." he said, giving me his hand to stand up.

"Severus?" I tried his name out, "Would you mind wearing something else to the wedding? You look so like my professor wearing those."

"I can do that." he said, handing me my jumper before he let me out.

"Goodnight, Severus." I said

"Sweet dreams, Ginny."

zZzZzZzZzZz

"Wake up, Gins." I started out of my bed before I realized that it was Hermione in polyjuice form.

"It's Monday, Hermione, I don't have class until noon." I whined, covering my head with my pillow.

"Your mother is here." Came the voice of my Mum from the doorway.

"Did you have to come at eight in the morning?" I asked, groaning.

"We have a wedding to plan, missy." Mum said as she and Hermione pulled the coverlet off me.

"Come on, get dressed." Hermione said.

"Twenty minutes, please." I begged, smiling blearily at my mother.

"Oh, my baby's going to be married," she cried, pulling me into a hug, "and I _know_ that I'll get a grandbaby out of this one!"

"Yeah, but I'm marrying Snape." I said, hopping off the bed

"Still have to plan a nice wedding." Mum said as she and Hermione walked out the door, "Room of Requirement in twenty minutes."

"All right." I said, gathering my bath kit.

"I'll see you at two, Gins, in History of Magic."

"Of course." I said, heading for the bathroom. I stepped into the room and really looked at it. The last time I had seen it was three in the morning in the dark. The same river rock was half way up the walls and crisp white paint was above that. Gunmetal colored taps ringed the swimming pool sized bath. I selected the lilac scent and quaffle sized lavender and white bubbles poured out. I eased myself in and took a couple of laps before washing my hair and body. A fluffy white towel awaited me when I got out. I braided my hair and dressed in the standard Hogwart's uniform: black kick pleated skirt, white oxford shirt, black vest with a gold and red striped tie. Atop that went my robes and I pulled on a pair of white knee socks and black loafers.

My shoes made a pitter patter noise on the stone floors of the corridors. I reached the Room of Requirement with three minutes to spare and the door appeared to me. I stepped in and saw my mother sorting through several catalogues.

"There's my little bride." Mum said, beaming. A tea service appeared with chocolate chip cookies on the round table she was sitting at. She got up and hugged me and I sat down on the purple upholstered wingback chair provided.

"Where does one even start?" I asked, looking over the books of flowers, hand fasting cords, dresses, circlets, cakes and wedding sites.

"I was thinking that the wedding could take place by the lake."

"Snape said that he'd like to be married at his mother's ancestral home in the garden. He sent a house elf out today to get the flower beds in order and such." I said, taking a bit of cookie.

"Oh, that's lovely." Mum gasped, "Who would have thought that he was a romantic man?"

"Not me." I said, opening the catalogue of flowers.

"Now, you'll need enough flowers to go over the arbor and for your attendants to wear in their hair. What kind of dresses would you like for them?"

"Flowers or dresses?" I asked, sounding confused.

"Oh, Ginny. We've got a lot ahead of us." Mum sighed, shaking her head.

Mum finally let me go, just in time to make it to History of Magic on time. By this point I had told her that Trinity and Hermione would be my attendants and that they would have Lily of the Valley in their hair and there would be Sterling Roses, Lily of the Valley and Ferns over the arbor that we'd be married under. I convinced her to allow me to go by myself to pick out the rings and my own dress. There was quite a row over that one, but she finally let me. I was informed that Severus would be going to a flower shop to make me a circlet of flowers, each one symbolizing something that I was. Like creative or sweet or passionate, any number of attributes. I would wear that to the wedding. I was to pick out three cords, as he was as well, to symbolize something that we wanted the marriage to have. It seemed rather simple and I was glad for it. I was to wear nothing under the dress that I chose, one with the earth and so forth.

The rest of the day progressed easily, my classes manageable. That is, until my final class. Oh how I dreaded Potions.

"Miss Weasley is to be my wife." Snape stated at the start of the hour, "She is to be my wife not of my choosing. She will be treated the same or worse as you will be. This is highest level Potions and I expect you not to be dunderheads like you were in years past. If anyone of you dares slander Miss Weasley or I on the matter of grades, I assure you that you will fail this course. Professor Gatsby will be grading all of Miss Weasley's work, therefore I have nothing to do with it.

Page twelve: The Horteculterus Potion. Directions are on the board. Begin."

I sighed, thankful that it was over. Trinity and I were paired together, much to my liking and we finished the potion with relative ease.

"My God, Gins, did you think it would be like that?" Trinity asked me as soon as we were dismissed.

"I expected worse." I said, laughing.

"When's the wedding to be?" she asked

"This Saturday. Speaking of, would you be one of my attendants?"

"Oh, Ginny! Of course I will!" Trinity shrieked, hugging me right in the corridor. "What kind of dresses do we get to wear?"

"I was thinking a pale gold." I said, smirking.

"You're terrible." She said, swatting at my arm.

"What? Gold's not so bad." I laughed

"It is if you're marrying a Slytherin!"

"What colour would you prefer?" I asked as I shook the hand of Barnabas the Barmy. "Pumpkin Pie."

"How about a nice deep violet? That would look nice with bronze accents." She suggested.

We dropped our bags by the door to our room as I spoke, "I was thinking maybe apple green and gold. I've always liked that combination."

"Oh, that sounds nice! When are you going to get your dress?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Snape's taking me into Diagon Alley after we get done with Arithmancy." I said as we climbed up into my bed.

"Are you ever going to call him by his first name?" she asked, brushing her chin length brown hair out with her fingers.

"I'm going to try, but he's been Professor Snape for seven years." I settled back so that Trinity could play with my hair like she adored doing.

"It's weird, isn't it?"

"It's really weird."

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this."

"Me too." I said, leaning into my friend's embrace. I looked up and saw her pretty blue eyes filled with tears, "Why are you crying?"

"I feel so bad for you. You don't get to marry the man that you want to and you're going to be forced to have a baby at seventeen." She said, wiping at her face with the back of her hand.

"It'll be all right. Snape is brewing the Fertility potion tonight. We will only have to do it once, maybe twice if something goes terribly wrong. I'll be able to finish my seventh year and have the baby in June." I said, "It's not so bad. I don't think Snape and I are even going to have to live together."

"Don't you want your baby to have a family?" she asked. I knew that she mourned the loss of her Father to cancer when she was only six months old.

"I do. And Snape's asked to date me, maybe try to see if this can possibly work as a real marriage, not just a proxy sham."

"He's really not that bad." Trinity said, "He just acts big and bad a lot. When Pansy Parkinson's mother was killed last year she cried on his shoulder for hours in the common room."

"I know he's not so bad, but it is strange."

"He's not the most attractive man ever, but he is loyal and stable. What you need in a husband." She said, resuming the brushing of my hair. "You'll be able to talk about Potions and Defense, too."

I tried his name out, "Severus." It felt nice on my tongue, the consonants slipping nicely with the vowels. He was such a Severus. It was the perfect name for the dour man that I knew.

"See, you can say his name." she said, starting to French braid my red hair.

"I know."

"It'll be time for dinner soon." Trinity said when she finished, "I'm going to owl my parents beforehand. I have something that I want to give you that's at their house."

"What is it?" I asked, sitting up excitedly.

"You'll find out soon enough." She said, scooping up Guinevere and putting her beside me.

"Fine then. Hello, Miss Guinevere." I scratched her behind the ears and she purred happily.

Things might not be so bad after all.


	4. Invisible Title

**WARNING: I've re-formatted this story so you should go back to chapter three to read the second half of it to catch you up on where the story is right now. Sorry for the confusion**

**WARNING: A little bit of slashyness between characters. Don't say that I didn't warn you.**

"Have some eggs." Trinity said, forking some of hers onto my plate.

"Aren't you hungry?" Colin asked me, his blue eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine. All of you, I'm fine!" I said, laughing it off, "I've just got to go to Diagon Alley this afternoon to buy things for the wedding. It's stressful."

Trinity looked tired this morning, her hair slightly rumpled still and sleep in her eyes. I looked over at her and smiled and she smiled back a little too brightly at me for nine in the morning. I gave her a sign with my hands from a muggle device called Sign Language meaning 'OK?'. She mouthed 'later' to me and I nodded. I'd pull her aside before Divination.

"Poor girl. I know that Murlap Essence helps with nerves if you'd like some?" Luna said, her earrings depicting little parrots that cawed every few moments swaying with her head.

"It's all right. I think I'll be all right." I said, spreading cheddar liberally over my eggs.

"Come on now, it's ten til nine. Divination beckons." Colin said, gathering his books.

"Trinity and I will be along in a moment. She's left her crystal ball and I said I'd go back with her." I said, conveniently lying to the gathered.

"See you in a moment." Trinity said, taking my arm and leading me out ahead of the others.

When we were out of earshot, I pounced, "What is it?"

"Oh, Ginny, I didn't want to say anything, I didn't want to worry you." She said, sitting down on a bench under a window.

"What didn't you want to worry me about?" I asked quizzically.

"I really like someone." She said.

"Really?" I said sarcastically, "I thought that you could not love."

"Now seriously, Gins, I like someone and I can't have them." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Trin. Is he taken?" I asked, putting my arm around her.

"In a way, they've been chosen as part of the marriage law." She said, "And there's no way."

"I'm sorry, Trin. We've got to go to Divination, though. We'll talk on the way. Come one." I said, standing and taking her hand to pull her up. She looked at me with such utter sadness in her pretty eyes. And that's when I knew. Her secret love was Snape. The man that I was slated to marry was one of my best friend's secret crush. I looked at her with shock and asked her why.

"I told you what he was like in the common room. I told you that he wasn't so bad. I told you that there were redeeming qualities. I said that because I love you, Gin. I need you to be happy and you'd never be happy with me." She smiled through her tears at me, keeping my hand in hers. I willed my jaw not to drop. She wasn't in love with Snape, she was in love with me. The shock hit me with ten tons of irony

"Why?" I whispered.

"I can't help it, Gins. I can't help it. You're so smart and kind and everything that all the Slytherins that have been around me for years are not. You're beautiful and you've got a terrible temper and you're just as cunning as me. I can't help who I'm attracted to." Trinity said, her long elegant fingers wrapping around her necklace. She shrugged and I smiled down at her.

"Are you only interested in girls?" I asked

"I don't know, Gins." She said, "I just know that I've been infatuated with you for a while."

"It's all right, Trin. It really is." I said, sitting again beside her, leaving my hand in hers, "I'm sorry that I'm to be married."

"Ginny?" I looked over at Trinity and she hesitated before speaking again, "May I kiss you, Ginny?"

"Are you sure that you want to do that?" I asked

Trinity had kept her tears in check until now and a single fat tear rolled down her cheek and off her jaw. "My parents are thinking of going ahead and setting up a marriage to a muggleborn for me, so that at least I have a chance of getting someone that's well suited. The ministry would approve it, I know it. I just want to kiss you. And then I'm going to try to forget this. I want to be your best friend again, Gins, I don't want this to change."

"All right." I said, taking a breath and swallowing. I took her jaw in my hand and closed her eyes with the other. Tears welled in my eyes as well when she smiled. My Trinity, harboring this secret only to try to make me happy. She truly was a Hufflepuff at heart. I closed my eyes as I leaned in and brushed my lips over hers. I stilled them, letting her grow accustomed to the feel. She kissed me back gently, as if afraid to break me. Her mouth was sweet, she tasted of sweet summer strawberries, like she had just eaten for breakfast. Our noses bumped into each other and I slid my tongue over her bottom lip. Trinity was beautiful, anyone could see that, with her silky dark tousled mane and fathomless eyes, but to me she was more. She was my friend. And at the moment, she was making me feel good. Trinity tentatively nibbled at my upper lip and my hand in her hair tightened. I started to get short of breath, something that I never expected to happen with a girlfriend and warm and tingles infused my fingers and toes. When we parted it was from lack of breath, not from wanting the kiss to be over. I slumped against her and she clung to my shoulders as we both started breathing normally again. Her chin-length hair tickled my lips and nose where my head rested. The reverie was sweet, but did not last long. Trinity's decorum shone through her and she was true to her word. When she spoke her voice did not waver with longing and she did not cry nor did her eyes fill with tears.

"Thank you, Ginny. I'll remember that for a long time. You've given me something to commit to memory and I'm truly grateful. Don't worry; I'm not going to beg to be your mistress. Let's go." She said, flashing me a dazzling smile, "We're definitely late now."

We gathered our bags and started walking up the stairs towards the East Tower. It was not strange between us and I remarked on how nice it would be to play Quidditch again in this nice weather. Trinity agreed and we continued on our way.

"I'm going to obliviate you." Trinity said when we reached the door to the class room.

"I assumed as much." I said, dejectedly, "I'll ask you not to though. You're so dear to me and I don't regret what I did."

"I knew you would ask." She said, drawing her wand, "But I can't. I don't want you to remember that."

"I understand." I said, bracing myself. It was time for a bit of quick Legillimency. I closed my eyes and pictured the memory. I made a painting of the memory in my mind and rolled it up and took it to another part of my mind: the Hogwart's kitchens and put it in a jar with all the other memories that I wanted to keep safe.

"_Obliviate_." Trinity whispered and I felt a shockwave through my mind, clearing out the memories of breakfast and waking up. Before I opened my eyes I tried to remember the memory of the kiss. There it was, next to the memory of Harry kissing me for the first time. I tucked it back into its place and carefully schooled my features.

"Oh, we're going to be late, Trin." I said, quietly opening the door into the incense filled room.

"I knew that you would be late, Misses Smith and Weasley. I've put the assignment on your table." Trelawney said, peering over her large, thick spectacles.

"Thank you, Madam." We said as we moved to our chintz poufs by the open window. I scanned down the page, it had a list of symbols. I smiled, realizing that this sheet would help me a lot in my shopping. Many colors were listed, along with flowers and then four other categories that I did not read thoroughly. I quickly completed the assignment and soon the lunch bell was ringing. I made sure to make Trinity think that I was oblivious as we walked down to lunch with Colin. She seemed lighter now, as if a burden had been lifted. I mentally sighed, sorry that her fondness for me was a burden.

I ate lunch quickly and hurried back to my room to change clothes. I stood in front of the wardrobe for several moments before I decided on a dark blue set of robes. The underdress was slightly fitted with no waist seam and no sleeves. A deep V neck was closed with a black cord. The outer robes were deep blue as well, with wider belled sleeves and a nipped waist. It tied with a sash on the side and I looked into the mirror, hoping that this would be all right. I wished that Trinity was there just then, because I would have liked to have my hair braided. I pulled half back to the crown of my head and let the rest loose around my shoulders instead. I transferred the list of symbols to the inner breast pocket and attached a coin pouch to my sash. I looked at the ring that was still sitting on my dressing table and contemplated it for several long moments. I decided not to wear it and instead tucked it into my coin pouch. I walked back down and Snape was already waiting for me.

"Are you ready?" he asked, offering me his arm. I took it and he led me out of the castle at my nod.

"Are we apparating?" I asked as we walked up the path to the gates.

"Yes. I assume that you have your license?" he said, looking over at me.

"To Gringott's?" I asked. He nodded in the affirmative and with a POP both of us were standing almost dazedly in front of the large white building.

Severus took my arm again and led me up the stairs to where a goblin was holding open a glass door for us. We were led back to an office where a goblin named Wumpscut was sitting behind a desk piled with papers. He peered at us over half moon spectacles and soon we were out. Now I could just run the tip of my wand over a receipt and it would be automatically taken from the account. I was also given a slip of paper that I was to banish directly after reading. It held the balances of all three of Severus' accounts.

The first, simply labeled Trust Fund contained some 1,933 Galleons. The next was labeled Investments with 2,092G and the last, labeled Salary contained more that I think my parents had ever made in a year, 9,028G.

"What is all this from?" I gasped as I incinerated the slip of paper.

"It seems rather self explanatory, don't you think?"

"You couldn't have made that salary from Hogwarts!" I exclaimed, feeling like I was bordering on hysterical.

"Of course not. You're familiar with Natural Look Facial Cleansers and Hair Care Products?"

I nodded, catching on, "You're the inventor of those? My mum's used the face wash since I was a kid- that's what smell I always associate with her."

"Yes, I invented them and now they sell quite well. I update them every two or three years though. I also invented Gorgeous You, the everlasting hair dyes. Not my pick of a name, I assure you." he said, pulling his pocket watch from his inner chest pocket.

"What time is it?" I asked as I managed to slip on the last step out of Gringott's. Severus caught my left arm as I was sure that I would fall right on my arse.

"All right?" he asked, helping my steady myself.

"Just peachy with a side of keen." I muttered

"You're not wearing the ring." he stated, not letting go of my arm. He tucked it into the crook of his and we set off walking.

"I have it with me. I wasn't sure if you'd want me to wear it in public. It is beautiful though." I said, stopping to open my coin pouch.

"I thought that we'd be doing this differently, but I thought that you might wear it." Severus said.

"I haven't put it on since I got it. I thought that you might want to tell me when to wear it."

"I'm sorry that I threw it at you." he said as I handed it to him, "May I?"

"All right." I said as he slid the ring onto my left hand. I felt the familiar tightening of the ring and I looked down, holding out my hand.

"Did you pick this out or was it your mother's or something?" I asked, looking at the stone glinting in the sunlight.

"I chose it. It helped me get my mind off of things that first day." Severus said as he directed me to sit on a bench outside of Madam Malkin's. "Look on the inside."

I peered into the inside edge of the ring and as I looked several words materialized, scratching themselves into the surface, "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be."

"I thought that it was appropriate. Things aren't so nice now, but I promise that I'll try." he said.

"Robert Browning- muggle poet. You're a hopeless romantic." I said, marveling at how different this man was from what he used to be, "You're still a snarky prat in class, but outside you're, I don't know, different."

"Are you not different when you are teaching something to the DA than you are when you're in the common room?" he asked, grinning slightly at me, "Then why am I not allowed to be the same? I will be comfortable around you, Ginny, I'm to spend the rest of my life around you."

"I guess you're right, it just seems so strange. It's like I've never met you." I said

"Well allow me to introduce myself. I am Severus Tobias Snape, potions master, ex-spy, loyal order member, your fiancé and most of all and most simply, I am a man." Severus stood in front of me, made a polite bow and took my hand to his lips. I shuddered to think of the last time his lips came in contact with me.

I gestured for him to sit down. He did and I stood, executing a low curtsy that wobbled at the end. I laughed and straightened. "Ginevra Antares Weasley, student, loyal order member, purple heart combatant, your fiancée and even more simply a girl that's almost a woman but more woman than girl." I kissed his hand and he actually laughed, full out belly laughter.

"You will be entertaining, I know that for sure." Snape said, pulling me down to the bench beside him.

"Thank you. You never did tell me the time." I said.

"Oh yes," he pulled his watch again, "Its two forty. We'd best be getting off."

"You'd best be getting off. I'm going in here." I said, "What price range would you like me to stay in?"

"Don't break me." is all he said, "And get something that you like, for Merlin's sake."

"I'll be sure to do that." I said, "Make sure that you buy something that isn't those robes. I won't marry you on Saturday if that's what you're wearing."

"Assuredly. Meet me at Anteros at five thirty?"

"Anteros?" I asked, looking up the street.

"New restaurant just off the alley. It's where Ollivander's used to be before they moved." he said.

"Oh, right. OK, I'll see you then."

"If you get done early just go to Flourish and Blotts and buy a magazine or book to keep you occupied if you would like." he said as I opened the door to the dress shop.

"Thanks. I'll see you." I said, closing the door behind me.

"Hello, dearie." a clerk said to me, "What can I help you with today?"

"I've been affected by the marriage law and I'm requiring a set of robes." I said nervously.

"Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Madam Malkin herself and we'll get you fitted in something very nice." she said, taking my arm.

"I'm Ginny Weasley." I said, shaking her hand as she led me to a fitting area off the back of the shop.

"Of course you are. I read about your assignment in the paper, really is a shame." she said, shaking her head.

"He's really not as bad as he seems." I said, trying to defend my fiancé.

"Oh, you couldn't be to be a great spy for the war like that. He must be very brave." she said and I nodded, "I have several catalogues for you to look through. If you see anything that you like just mark it and I'll be back to help you try them on in a few minutes."

"Thank you." I said as I sat down at the gold gilt table. I opened the first magazine and was met with several of the most hideous creations with large poofed sleeved and hoop skirts. I closed that one and opened the next which seemed better. I thumbed through several pages until I found one of my liking. It was pretty, with long sleeves and a high neck. I marked it with my wand and continued. I found three more before I called in Madam Malkin.

"I've found these four that I like." I said, opening the books to those pages.

"Very nice. Now get up there on that platform." she said, gesturing to the small round platform in front of the three way mirror. I did as she said and held my arms out for her. "Most brides like to close their eyes until I've completely fitted each dress."

I complied and closed my eyes until she told me to open. I looked in the mirror and immediately liked what I saw. It was the first dress that I had chosen and Madam had shortened the sleeves to three quarters. It was made of heavy raw silk and the bodice clung to me. A stand up collar topped a deep, narrow v neck. Ivory embroidery of leaves and vines encircled my waist and the skirt fell down full in a graceful cascade.

"This is it, isn't it?" Madam said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Yes. It is. How did you know?"

"Every girl looks the same when they find that perfect dress and dear me, I get choked up every time." she said, "You look magnificent."

"How much is it?" I asked, fingering the fabric in my hand.

"It was just marked down, I believe, from 50G to 35G." she perused the catalogue. She tisked, "It wasn't marked down, but that's what I'm going to do."

She winked at me and I smiled as the dress evaporated from my form and replaced itself with my own robes. The dress reappeared folded and boxed on the table beside her.

"Thank you." I said, smiling brightly.

"We have a selection of cloaks if you would like to see, Miss Weasley." Madam said, gesturing to the wall, "Or I can make up one in the same fabric with the same embroidery for you for 15G."

"Oh, please make up one for me. That would be lovely." I said, watching her nod and pull the cloak out of thin air.

"That will be 50 galleons total." she said, conjuring a sales slip for me. I ran my wand across the paper and it glowed green before disappearing.

"That's so easy." I marveled.

"Yes it is." she said, loading my arms with the two boxes.

"Would you mind sending these?" I asked, thinking of all the other things I was going to buy that day. "To Hogwarts, care of Severus Snape."

"I can do that." she said, taking them back. I rummaged into my pouch and pulled out the last galleon that I had left from my summer job and left them on the desk as I walked out. She had been more than helpful. I stepped out of the shop and looked up at the campanile on the tower of Gringott's. It was just chiming four o'clock. I didn't realize that it had taken me so long. I hurried along down to Diamond in the Rough, a nicer looking jewelry store down the street. The bell chimed over the door and I walked in and started looking around. I needed a metal that would be non-reactive to potions. I was perusing this task when a man walked out from the back room.

"Can I help you?" he asked, polishing a large sapphire in his hands.

"I'm looking for a non-reactive metal, my fiancé is a potions master."

"You'd be Miss Weasley?" he asked. I mentally sighed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to go anywhere without being recognized.

"Yes." I replied.

"Master Snape was in here over the weekend. He purchased that ring that you have on your finger there." he said, pointing to my hand, "I have just the thing, I believe."

"Thank you." I said. He dropped down under the counter and pulled out a tray of rings.

"These are magically coated to be non-reactive. I assume that gold is out of the question, he doesn't seem that type of man."

"No, definitely not." I looked up and down the rows of rings before I settled on a simple platinum band. There was no embellishments on it and it had a simple domed top. I decided to make an engraving, when he asked.

"We have to live, no matter how many skies have fallen." I said, remembering a very good book that I had read earlier in the summer: D.H. Laurence's Lady Chatterly's Lover.

"How adept." he said, showing me a list of scripts. I chose one and he spelled it on. I looked at it and smiled. It was no declaration of affection, but it was poignant. Maybe one day I'd change it. "We also have a selection of cords, if you have not already gotten yours."

"May I see them?" I asked. He nodded and walked to the back for his supply. I pulled out the list and tried to pare down to just three choices. I looked into the box and fished around for a green one for generosity, because he was so generous to me, purple for wisdom and white for simplicity. I paid for them all, slightly sad that I couldn't pay for them all myself.

Another look to the clock revealed that I had almost forty minutes to walk two blocks to the restaurant. I sat down on the same bench as before and closed my eyes, basking in the sun at dusk.

**A/N:**

**A lot of notes for you today! Let's see: **

**in Sevvie's bank accounts, converted into American dollars courtesy of the HPLexicon:**

$14,168 for trust

$15,334 investments

$66,175 salary

**Ginny's dress was based on this one: (take out the spaces to see)**

http/ www. dariuscordell. com/ dresses .htm

**The dress was (in American dollars)**

$366.50 for dress originally

$256.55 for on sale

$366.50 for dress on sale and cloak


	5. New Beginnings

"Knut for your thoughts?" Severus' voice came from in front of me.

"It's a sickle now, you know inflation," I said, looking up at him.

"Well, a donation, mayhap?"

"I was thinking of how life has changed since last Tuesday."

"And what conclusion did you come to?"

"I'm engaged to be married in four days and I'm trying to correct my notions that I've had about you for seven years."

"Truthful. I'm attempting to see you as more than a war comrade or a student. I believe that you have it easier. You simply need to correct the snarky bat impression but I fell as though I am a pedophile occasionally."

"It's past five-fifteen," I said, "Do you have reservations at Antares?"

"Yes, let's go," he said, taking my arm again like an old world gentleman, "We have much to speak of over dinner, I fear."

"About the wedding?" I asked as my free hand came to rest on Snape's forearm.

"In a way. The afters, in particular."

"Oh. That," I said, laughing nervously. He opened the door for me and we were shown to our tables and Severus placed the drink orders. I let him do so because I was naïve in the ways of vinting. He requested the chef's recommendation as our entrées and allowed ourselves to be put solely in the chef's care. We bantered lightly until the wine arrived and he uncorked it and he poured me a glass.

"I'm glad your at least of age," he said, wafting his goblet under his nose. I mimicked and nodded in agreement. The sweet white wine sloshed over my tongue and filled my mouth with bubbles.

"I've never had champagne. It tickles my nose." I laughed.

"It tends to do that. I prefer a nice red or even brandy to white but I thought you would like it. I digress: On to more pressing subjects."

"The sex." I said plainly.

"Erm, well, yes. We need only do it once, if you want. I've completed the potion and my only question is what sex would you like to have, I mean, for a child. I don't have to add the extra ingredients, we could just do the gender roulette."

"I don't care," I said, "Let's chance it unless you have a preference."

"No preference. Also, you're familiar with pregnancy symptoms?" a flush rose to his cheeks.

"Mostly. Your backrubs will come in handy later on."

"I have a nausea potion if you require it."

"I'll remember that."

The soup arrived, a bowl of steaming lobster bisque.

"Ginny," he started, spooning a bite of soup, "I understand that you would not be comfortable sharing my bed, but maybe you might like to stay with me? I have a spare bedroom. Or I could take the spare bedroom? Anyway, I'm very enthused about my first child; I'd love for you to wake me up if I'm asleep when the baby kicks for the first time or if you can't sleep because your ankles hurt."

"I'll be such an awful pregnant woman," I groaned.

"You'll be fine," He said, "And many women seem to find perks."

"Really," I said drolly.

"Well, erm, they seem to claim that they are more sensitive during relations. Most find it rather pleasurable. Not that I'm expecting to share your bed."

"A perk. Larger breasts as well." I said, felling bold and gesturing to my rather smallish set.

"Fine as well. I mean, you're all right as you are," he said, stumbling over the words.

"Enough with the blushing!" I said, "It's practically been admitted that you have noticed me. Not hard, my hair is awful bright."

"You are an uncommonly pretty girl," he said, taking my hands across the table.

"I always thought that I'd be comfortable with the man I was to marry and-"

"I'm sorry, Ginny," he cut in.

"Let me finish. And I'm surprised to find that I'm rather comfortable with you." His hold on my hands tightened for a moment.

"I'm very glad that you feel that way. If there is any more that I can do to help, just let me know."

"The only thing that I am unsure of is our difference in sexual prowess. Could you enlighten me to who your previous women were?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well. The first woman I was ever with, please don't ask me her name, I was in love with her. It's not important that you know her identity, just know that we loved each other. I slept with two women before I joined the death eaters, Narcissa and Bellatrix. Your remark about Bellatrix hit home hard. It was easy to be seduced by them. Bellatrix was already married, but Rabastan shared. There were four after that, three that I barely remember their faces. The fourth I loved very much. When I fell in love with Rebecca, Voldemort saw it in my mind and killed her in front of me. Ginny, I've loved twice in my life, deeply, and I'm hesitant to try to love you, but I'll try. An attempt is all I can promise."

"Another question," I put it off until the waiter was gone, leaving a sumptuous roast in his wake, "Have you ever been with a man?"

"Erm, yes," He looked uncomfortable.

"You don't have to tell me who."

"I experimented with him at Hogwarts and for a while three years ago we tried to make a relationship work. It obviously didn't, but anyway, it was Remus Lupin."

My jaw dropped. Three years ago Tonks and Remus were having a lot of problems. They weren't even together three years ago.

"Oh, and you've never desired a woman?"

"I kissed one just this afternoon."

ZZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

"Wake up!" Hermione cried, crawling into bed with me. Trinity bounced onto the bed as well and they made a Ginny Sandwich.

"No…" I groaned through my smile.

"It's your wedding day!" Trinity cooed

"I am quite aware," I said, trying to close my eyes again.

"Wake up this instant," Mum said from the end of my bed.

"I am. Just reveling in the sheets," I said, sitting up, "Morning, Mum."

"It's eleven o'clock and the girls and I have let you sleep in for almost three and a half hours. We've been at High Grove since eight thirty."

"Where?" I asked, snuggling into Hermione's shoulder. Her now-bushy/curly hair tickled my face and I sighed.

"Snape's Mum's ancestral home. It's where the wedding is. She made us scones this morning, Snape's mum," Trinity told me.

"Was Snape there?"

"How long _are _you going to call him Snape?" Hermione asked.

"Sometimes I call him by his first name. Most times I just don't address him directly," I said, getting up to hug Mum who was sitting on the end of my bed.

"I'm not going to cry today," Mum said, hugging me tight.

"Wait until we open the circlet and find out what _Severus_ thinks of me. Probably carnations for insufferability, hawthorn for ugliness..."

"Come off it," Trinity said.

"You've got to get in the bath, missy," Mum said, herding me into the bathroom.

"Who all is going to be there?" I asked as I undressed.

"The family, including Harry and Hermione, her date-"

"Hermione Jane! You didn't tell me!"

"It's Professor Altair. I asked him last night to accompany me."

"Tonks and Remus," at Mum's mention I blushed bright red.

"Oh, Gins, Remus and Snape are over," Hermione said as they took seats around the bathroom.

"Professors Lupin and Snape?" Trinity exclaimed.

"They were involved for three or four months once," Mum said.

"Wotcher, girls," said Tonks from the doorway.

"Nymphadora! Why didn't you tell me that Remus and Snape were involved?" I bellowed as I opened the lilac taps.

"Kinky, idn't it?"

"Did Remus tell you about it?"

"The sex?" Mum asked. I closed my eyes.

"Yup. Said Sevvie's a right good kisser with a body to drool over. Likes his nipples too."

"You already told me that he had a nice body. Just have to fix those dratted teeth and nose."

"I like his nose," Mum justified.

"Mum!" I cried, letting my robe drop to the floor.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" Trinity asked.

"Rather," I said as I slid into the bath, "Not that the sex will be so bad, I've heard, but he's so much more experienced than I am."

"It'll be all right," Mum said, hiking her skirt to sit on the edge of the tub to wash my hair.

"I know it will be. I'm just worried that he's going to be dissapointed," I sighed, leaning into the massaging of my scalp. Trinity came to the edge and started removing the polish from my nails.

"No glamouries on your wedding day."

I smiled and gave in.

"So what did you have to send for? From your Mum, I mean."

"I'll get it when we're done."

Hermione held out my white robe for me when I was done and I stepped into it. She muttered a series of charms and my hair was soon dry and straight.

"Pretty hair," Hermione said as she brushed it out.

"Thank you."

"Here, Gins, this was my Father's Mother's," She presented me with a delicate loop of gold with several small dangling emeralds, "She was given this by her best friend on her wedding day and it went to my Father when she died. Father died and I got it. I decided to give it to you."

"Oh, Trin!" I cried as she clasped it on my wrist.

"I hope it brightened your day," she said, returning my tight hug.

"It did, thank you so much!" I let the small tear drop shaped stones glisten in the light, "Thank you."

"Here's the flowers!" Mum said as she and Tonks came back into the room.

"Lets see," Hermione said as she finished braiding the flowers into her hair.

"Oh, Ginny. He put so much thought into this! Look, most men use three or four flowers and he used six!"

"Look, oak leaves, he thinks you're brave, Gins, and variegated tulips, beautiful eyes," Hermione said, pointing out two, "And now, hre, there's yellow jasmine for loyalty, lily of the valley for innocence. How uniformed he is! And morning glory for sweetness. I don't know what the lavender means."

"Fertility," Mum said, "The man knows how to make a joke," Mum said, smoothing my hair to my shoulders before she placed the flowers. I looked into the mirror and smiled. Several sprays of lily of the valley fell across my forehead and the five other flowers started on the wreath past the crown of my head and cumulated in a large spray of all six at the back. The whites, purples, and yellows looked nice against the background of waxy green oak leaves. It seemed strange to see this beautiful wreath and expensive emerald bracelet against my ratty bath robe.

"Come on, missy, we need to be going, it's almost 12:30," Mum said.

"May I have a moment alone?" I asked, not looking at them, merely staring at my reflection in the mirror.

"Come on, Ginny. You're going to have to do it no matter what. Stalling isn't going to help," Trinity said gently, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"She's right, baby," Mum said, helping me up. I complied, tearing my eyes away from my own reflection. Tonks had laid my dress out on my bed. I noticed for the first time that Trinity and Hermione were already dressed in their dark blue dresses. I smiled at them nervously and Hermione took my robe from me. I stood, stark naked except for the flowers in my hair and bracelt on my wrist. Trinity moved in front of me and slid the ring that Severus had given me onto my finger. I looked over at her and pleaded wordlessly. The dress went over my head and the tiny clothed buttons which so reminded me of my finace were buttoned. The dress felt cool against my skin and as nice as it had when I bought it, but today it felt like I was being dressed for my funeral. I would shed the name that I had carried for seventeen years today for one I abhorred for almost seven. I felt then that my childhood had been ripped from me, leaving domesticity in it's place when I was not ready for it. A baby would be in my arms, three months old this day next year.

I closed my eyes as the last of the buttons were closed around my neck. Tonks straightened my hem. Mum wrapped the matching cloak around my shoulders. Hermione smoothed my hair. Trinity squeezed raspberry juice over my lips to strain them redder. I dared not open my eyes to look in the mirror. I was led to the fireplace and Hermione went through the flames first, shouting High Grove.

I followed her through, reveling in the feel of the warm flames licking my skin. I landed in what appeared to be a sitting room at High Grove. Several dark blue and ivory velvet chairs and a victorian settee sat over a blue, black, red and ivory oriental rug. Heavy blue velvet drapes obscured the three floor to ceiling doubly hung windows. A large doorway into the foyer revealed a double curved staircase and across the hall was a library with glass and wood pocket doors. Chestnut floors gleamed wall to wall and rich moulding adorned the top and bottom of all the walls, whick were ivory in this room, crimson in the foyer and a deep claret purple beyond the glass doors.

"Molly? Is that you?" called a woman's voice.

"We're in the sitting room, Eileen," Mum called back. A tall, slender woman walked in from between the stairs in the foyer.

"Hello," said the rich contralto of Mrs. Snape. She was a beautiful woman with thick silver and black hair piled on her head gibson girl style. Her sharp blue eyes met mine and she spoke again, "Hello Ginevra, I am Severus' mother. I'm so very pleased to meet you."

"You as well, Madame," I replied, taking her hand and squeezing.

"My son is very fourtunate to be paired with a very pretty young fiancee," she complimented, "I'm sorry that we can't chat more. We'll do so later, but they are ready in the garden to start the ceremony. Please follow me, ladies."

I followed as I was told, out of the sitting room, through the doorway between the stairs. Through the archway was another comfortable sitting room. A turn was taken and we ended up in a large consevatory, already set with tables for the luncheon after the handfasting. A veranda door opened off the far wall and I saw the group of gathered guests.

"You have the cords?" Mum asked. Hermione nodded, holding up her wrist that they were tied around, "And the ring?"

Trinity held up the circle of platinum that I had chosen. I saw here peep inside the ring at the inscription.

"Lady Chatterly's Lover," she said, tears coming to her eyes. I embraced her and Hermione wrapped her arms around our shoulders as well.

"It's time," Eileen said, opening the door for Mum and Tonks to go outside. They each kissed my cheek and left, "Come out after Hermione and Trinity open the circle."

"Love you, Gins," Trinity said as she and Hermione walked out.

"You too," I choked, trying to find my voice.

I stood beside the door until I head their voices: "We open this circle and our hearts to Ginevra. We open this circle so that Severus and Ginevra might be joined."

I stepped out into the sunlight, trying to force my body to stop moving. I circle of my friends and family opened and I stepped off the veranda and through. Mum dabbed at her eyes. Bill smiled at me. Harry and Ron were not looking pleased, but Padma Patil had put her hand on Ron's shoulder and he was looking calmer than Harry. McGonogall, Binns, Flitwick and Hagrid and Madame Maxime stood to one side. Eileen Snape, Mum, Dad, Bill, Fleur, Charlie and the twins stood together next to Moody, Tonks, Kingsley and Mrs. Figg. My eyes fell on Remus and Lucius across the circle. They were both dressed alike, they must be Severus' attendants.

"We open this circle and our hearts to Severus. We open this circle so that Severus and Ginevra might be joined," I was right.

The circle parted again and Snape stepped through. He smiled gently at me and took his place. He had kept his promice to me and was not wearing his usual bat-like attire.

"I represent Fire," Trinity said, shooting a ring of fire out of her wand around us. I started and Severus took my hands, soothing me, "Fire is the passion that we all hope to bring to this union."

"I represent Water," Lucius said, forming a ring of water above the fire, "Water is the understanding that we all hope to bring to this union."

Hermione was next, "I represent Air," a strong wind whipped from her wand and a band of clouds formed above the water. I looked into Snape's eyes and with a start I realized that they were not black, but a very deep blue.

Air is the friendship that we all hope to bring to this union."

"I represent Earth," Remus said. I looked down at our feet . Severus' were also bare and quite large and slightly hairy. Flowers sprung to form a flowing band below the fire, "Earth is the loyalty and fidelity that we all hope to bring to this union."

"Ginevra, is it your intention to enter this union?" Remus asked me. I closed my eyes as my hands shook when I answered.

"Yes, it is my intention."

"Severus," Hermione said, "is it your intention to enter into this union?"

"Yes, it is my intention."

"Ginevra," Lucius said, "will you attempt to make Severus happy and help him to feel secure?

"The greatest attempt will be made." I said, the memorized words sounding fake, I knew.

"Severus, will you attempt to make Ginevra happy and help her feel secure?" Trinity asked.

"The greatest attempt will be made."

"Severus and Ginevra have chosen to be bound in white. White symbolizes their desire for simplicity." Remus said, breaking the circle of elements to cross our hands, right in right, left in left and lay two white cords over them.

"Ginevra has chosen to be bound in green. Green symbolizes her desire for generosity." Hermione laid the green over.

"Severus has chosen to be bound in red. Red symbolizes his desire for passion." Remus said. I glanced up at Severus and I smiled. He had chosen to be bound in _passion_.

"Ginevra has chosen to be bound in purple. Purple symbolizes her desire for wisdom."

"Severus has chosen to be bound in blue. Blue symbolizes his desire for serenity," Remus finished.

The circle expanded again to hold the four of us and Trinity and Lucius.

"Severus has chosen this outward symbol of his fidelity," Lucius said, showing the gathered the thin matching band. He placed it on my left finger, his long elegant fingers feeling cool against my hands.

"Ginevra has chosen this outward symbol of her fidelity," Trinity said, . She made eye contact with me as she slid the ring on his finger. I wanted to fight the ties that bound us and embrace my friend, tell her that it was all right, that she meant the world to me. But I couldn't.

"These cords show your intent," Remus and Hermione said together.

Trinity and Lucius took the next line, "These rings symbolize their commitment."

"May it be," the crowd said. The circle of elements rapidly expanded to encompass all present, then the house and gardens and finally so far that it winked out of view. The cords snapped up and neatly wrapped around each other. They landed with a thump between our feet.

"As the muggle saying goes, you may kiss your bride," My father said. I could have killed him.

Severus smiled at me and I felt a fire kindle inside me. He bowed his head, this time his lank hair not falling into his eyes because it was back in a tail. I closed my eyes and I felt his hands, one on my shoulder, the other cupping my jaw. He brushed my lips with his and they were gone again quickly. I sighed inwardly at the loss of his lips against mine. I liked kissing him but that doesn't mean I wanted to marry him.

"If you would join me in the hall, lunch will be served and we'll be able to congratulate our couple soon," Eileen said, ushering the guests inside.

"You met mother?" were Severus' first words to me all day.

"Yes. You share the same hair and eyes."

"Thankfully not the nose."

"Gins, you need to sign the scrolls for the ministry," Hermione said, pulling us over.

"Loan me your back?" I asked. He obliged and I scratched out my new name for the first time against my husband's back.Ginevra Antares Snape. I turned when I was done and he put his name down.

"Finished," he said, waving the parchment dry.

"Thanks, I'll get this right off," Hermione said, skipping off and leaving us alone again.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked me as he put the cords into his breast pocket.

"Better now that there's not a ring of fire around me," I laughed.

"I agree. You were rather startled."

"I've never been to a wizard wedding. I've only been to Bill and Fleur's, which was muggle for some reason. Fleur's mum wanted it, I think."

"I've never had a wife before. This is rather strange to me, I don't know where to begin I confess," he said.

"You were in love with Harry's mother, weren't you?" I asked, suddenly enlightened.

"Yes, Ginny, we were in love," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, but everything makes sense now. Why you hate Harry's father and such."

"Don't be. Today is about you and I, not about Lily."

"You're getting another red head. Does that disturb you?" I asked, taking his offered hand.

"Lily is not you. You are not Lily. You're Ginny and singularly beautiful in your own right."

"Thank you, that means alot to me."

"You're welcome."

**I'm sorry for the long wait and looser-ish ending to this chapter. Lemons next chapter. **


	6. Much Ado

**Dearest Readers: I've re-posted this chapter without any changes to make an announcement: My laptop had gone haywire and I don't have the backup disc of my NC-17 version of this chapter back yet. Also, there are several people who wanted this and forgot to put the spaces in their email to allow it go through. For this purpose, please go to my profile and get my email to email me your email address so that when it comes back to me we can do it that way. Thank you v. much for all of your patience!**

**H**

"Good luck, Gins, I love you," Trinity said as I opened the door for her. She was the last of the guests to exit and I wasn't looking forward to her departure, "When will you be back to school?"

"I should be back tomorrow, no one has said anything otherwise."

"I'll see you then."

"Love you," I said, hugging her one last time. I closed the door after her and peered through the glass. She wiped her eyes, something that I was not supposed to see, and apparated out of sight.

"Is that the last of the guests?" Snape asked from the stairs.

"Yes," I sighed, folding my arms around myself, "What do we do now?"

"We go to my, excuse me, our house."

"I thought we were there," I said, looking up at the grandfather clock. It was five forty five.

"This is our ancestral home but I don't usually come here. I own a small row house on London's western edge," he said, opening a cupboard under the stairs to retrieve a worn leather satchel, "Are you ready?"

"I forgot to pack a bag," I said, my voice wavering, "I was just so busy and scatterbrained that I didn't even think of it."

"It's fine, we'll just floo back to Hogwart's," he said, leading me back to the sitting room.

I went through the fire first and landed softly in my familiar bedroom. Trinity was at her Mother's for the rest of the weekend and I was glad that Snape and I had not gotten there when she was home.

"I'm guessing that this is your bed?" Severus asked, looking from one to the other.

"Yes, how did you know?" I smiled at him.

"Classic Molly Weasley bed making. She did that for me for a while at Headquarters," he said, patting the coverlet.

"She must have done it this morning, I don't remember making my bed," I said, hurrying to my trunk and empting my school bag into it. I pulled out a set of pajamas, my toothbrush and paste, a hairbrush and another set of clothes. Into the bag they went, along with the book that I was currently reading. I looked up to see Snape looking at the pictures and various bottles on my vanity table.

"Quite a collection of perfumes," he remarked, smelling one, "You never use this one."

"No, I prefer the scent in the bath."

"Lilac."

"What?" I looked up from my packing.

"I have a potion master's nose," he said, touching his sizable nose.

"It must have been broken at some point," I said, examining it.

"No, a deviated septum."

"Are you kidding me? You never fixed that? That spell is so simple I can do it, and I'm only days into my Mediwizardry course! First thing anyone learns is how to set bones and cartilage," I said, surprised.

"I never thought of it," he said, "I'm not a pretty man, Ginny, fixing my nose won't help."

"There are so many basic glamourie spells that could fix all of the things you don't like."

"Maybe we could find one for your obnoxiously red hair," he sneered.

"Come on, Snape, I was just trying to help. There are things about myself that I don't like," I said, bristling.

"Do you have something for my teeth? My sallow skin? My greasy hair?"

"Come off it," I said, tying my boots onto my feet.

"You were the one who insulted me!" he snarled.

"Seriously, you called my gorgeous mane of russet hair obnoxious. You can't get mad at me for everything, I'm your _wife_ now," I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"It's very red. Goes well with your freckles."

"Are you going to try to annoy me into having sex with you?"

"No, you have to anyway," he said, proud of himself.

"You really are just a petulant child," I sighed, going back through the floo to High Grove.

"Why did you come back here?" he asked, stepping through after me.

"Because I didn't want to walk to the gates of Hogwart's in this dress. Mud and such. Most houses aren't on the floo system so I just assumed that yours was not either."

"You assume a lot."

"Did I assume right?" I asked, making my way to the front door.

"Yes," he said, opening the door for me.

"Good."

"We'll tandem apparate since you haven't been there before," he said, holding out his arms for me.

"Fine," I muttered, letting him embrace me. I closed my eyes so that I didn't have vertigo when we stopped. I left my eyes closed when we landed, taking in the sounds. A river was near by, I could hear it. It wasn't too close to the city. There were trees around, because I could hear the leaves rustling. Birds were chirping.

"Here we are, Spinner's End," Snape said, opening the garden gate for me. Black wrought iron, how typical. Rose bushes lined the short walk to the door, which was also black, with a bronze door knob and knocker, emblazoned with an S. The three story brick row house was one of many lining the steeply sloped road. There were two full stories and what looked to be attic rooms at the top. No lights were on inside. Severus stroked the door and brought me up to stroke it as well, keying my fingers to open it. The door popped open.

We stepped directly into a foyer, a staircase in front of us, going up to a landing and changing directions. To the right and left were leaded glass French doors, one leading to a sitting room, the other to a dining room.

"Would you like a tour?" he asked, taking my bag from me.

"Yes, please."

"You will find the furnishings rather Spartan and out of date, I fear. I'm sure you would love to re-decorate? It will be a lovely place to raise children, I think," he said, opening the door to our left to the dining room. A rather monstrous dark wood table and ten chairs sat in the center of the room and there was a swinging door on the far right wall, facing two large windows, complete with cushioned seats. A buffet table, complete with wine glasses and several bottles of liquor sat next to the wall; at least it was handsome enough. Across from the buffet was a large marble fireplace with a nice wooden mantle. Severus turned on the light, which was a large, cobwebby black iron monster and I could see that the walls were dark green and long silver squiggles, which looked surprisingly like abstract snakes, covered the wall paper. The floor was dark wood, as was the mantle and the marble was green with ivory veins. A large family crest hung over the fireplace. I shivered, this room would have to go. Through the door was the kitchen. There were dark wood cabinets to match the floor and a terra cotta tiled counter. I sighed, continuing through to a small sun room. At least this was nice enough, with missionary style furniture, a loveseat, a table and four chairs. Down the hall we went, next to the stairs. We took a left into the sitting room and he lit the lamps there as well. This was the worst of all. Brown paint covered the walls and two black leather chairs clashed terribly with a burgundy upholstered sofa.

"Those chairs are very comfortable," he said.

"I sure do hope so," I muttered as he let me up the first flight of stairs. A bedroom to my right and left with a bathroom in the middle met me.

"They're mostly empty," he said, leading me up another flight, "But the one on the right has a double bed in it right now, I'll sleep there tonight."

"Oh."

"This is the master bedroom," he said, opening the door at the top of the stairs.

"Now this is more like it," I said, taking in the warm space. The sloped walls were not too short, but they made it comfortable. Ivory walls topped a thick white pile carpet that stretched wall to wall. Several silver wall sconces flared to life at Snape's command and I saw that the bed was large and elegant, with a silver metal headboard and footboard. It was decidedly masculine though, with a silver and navy striped coverlet and similarly covered pillows. A pair of paintings hung beside the bed, as there was a circular window directly above it. Two more dormer windows flanked the far wall. I found the paintings captivating; surprised that Severus had a sense of art.

"I spend most of my time in this room," he said, gesturing for me to sit at one of the two overstuffed chairs on the other end of the room. Bookcases lined two walls and a desk and chair also stood in this half, "There's a bathroom and large dressing area through that door, if you have need of it."

"This room is lovely, but I do have to say that the rest of your house is in need of, er, _remodeling_," I laughed.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked me, conjuring a kettle and cups with a casual wave of his hand.

"Wandless magic, you show-off," I said, "With only a little cream, please."

"You are capable of some wandless magic, are you not?" Severus asked, handing me the tea cup.

"I am a Legilimens, if that's what you mean."

"Albus informed me of your special ability some time ago. I must say that I was very impressed."

"Thank you," I said, trailing off. I wound a piece of hair around my finger and I brushed against some flowers, "You put a lot of thought into my circlet,"

"Hermione was with you so I assume that you knew what all of them meant," he said absently.

"Fertility?"

"A jest," he said, a smile cracking his lips.

"Nice one," I fell quiet again, resuming my winding.

I met his eyes and hastily looked away, embarrassed at the thought that I would have to make love to this man very soon.

"Did you mean it?" I blurted, without thinking.

"The flowers? That's the point."

"Thank you," I said sheepishly. Silence reigned again.

"Ginevra, we don't have a set plan for the evening. Perhaps you would like to just talk or read a book. We have five more hours to consummate," he said, taking my hand into his.

"I don't know where to start," I confessed.

"Let's each ask the other a question, that would be an adequate start don't you think?"

"All right, you go first," I said, "After I get out of this dress."

"You know you can't do that," Snape said, "You have to be in the dress before we consummate."

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Question One: Where is your middle name from? Antares is beautiful, albeit anachronistic."

"It's my Mother's Mother's Mother's times like, fifty, name. She was rumored to be a very powerful woman, also the only girl in a family of sons. And yours, Tobias, is your father's name."

"Why, yes. How did you know?"

"I do my research," I smirked.

"Touché, Ginevra."

"Question: Why do you call me Ginevra occasionally? No one else does."

"I call you Ginevra because it distances you from Ginny, the student."

"Fair enough," I conceded.

"Next Question, are you entirely repulsed by me? Is there any chance that we might end up happy together?" he asked, his eyes heavily veiled.

"No, I'm not repulsed by you. You've admitted to not taking care of yourself and it shows. I'm not trying to be mean, but I've seen pictures of you when you were first in The Order and you looked nice, really attractive. There might be a chance that we end up happy. I don't know, honestly. Now for my question, do you think that there is an arithmetical chance of our happiness?"

"I haven't tried," he said as he got up to go to his desk, "Let's try it out."

I took the parchment, quill and hardbound book from him and rested them on the arm of the chair.

S E V E R U S S N A P E

1 5 4 5 9 3 1 1 5 1 7 5

I wrote, "Let's see, that's 47 in all, 11 and then 2. You're a two, remember that."

He nodded and I worked out my own.

G I N E V R A W E A S L E Y

7 9 5 5 4 9 1 5 5 1 1 3 5 7

"You would be 67, then 13 then 4. With a heart number of 8." He said.

"Oh, yes, you've got a 1 for a heart number. I don't remember anything else, really, from my introductory Arithmancy class."

"You're in luck. The book under the parchment is my seventh year text," he said, taking it from me, "I am a two," he rustled through the pages, "Sweet natured?"

"Oh, it's because I didn't use middle names, how careless of me," I quickly worked out the two new ones, "I am a 1 and a 6 Heart and you are a 5 and an 8 Heart."

"That makes more sense," he conceded, "Let me read you this passage, '_Five is the number of instability and imbalance, indicating change and uncertainty. Fives are drawn to many things at once but commit to none. They are adventurous, energetic and willing to take risks. They enjoy travel and meeting new people but may not stay in one place very long. Fives can be conceited, irresponsible, quick-tempered and impatient._' How apt!"

"Quite, now what's mine say?" I asked, eager to hear.

"It says, '_This is the number of the individual, the solitary unit. Ones are independent, focused, and determined. They set a goal and stick to it. They are leaders and inventors_'."

"I think that might be right. I've never really worked well in groups, well, besides Quidditch."

"It looks like we're going to have more passion than a bodice ripper," he said, pointing to a section in the book.

"Oh, my." I said, "But look here, it also says that we're both intelligent."

"I would like to think so," he scoffed. We lapsed into silence for a while longer. The clock from somewhere outside chimed seven.

"Four hours. If we need an hour to do the deed, that is." I said, closing my eyes.

"I've got the potion, you should take it half an hour before the semen comes in contact with you," he said, pulling a small vial from his breast pocket. He pulled out the cords with it and they were sat on the desk. He handed it to me and I looked through the glass to see a pale green opalescent formula.

"You mean before you come?" I asked, pleased to see him squirm.

"Yes," Severus replied tersely. I laughed and he scowled at me.

"You're so proper, even when talking about sex!" I hooted.

"When do you want to do it?" he asked, suddenly more serious.

"Honestly, this whole day has fucked me up royally and I don't really care," I said, exasperated.

"Ginevra? Are you all right?" he asked me, concerned.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry that I went off like that just now," I said sheepishly.

"Why don't you just take that potion now and we'll get this all over with? You can get a bath before you sleep or read a book, something to calm you down. I have a mild calming draught if you would like it," Severus said.

"I'll take both, please." He handed me the other and without hesitation I downed the fertility potion.

"That wasn't as bad as some of the others," I said, remarking on the lime flavoring.

"You're welcome."

"Thanks," I said, looking at the calming draught, "But I don't think I'll take this."

"If you're sure. I'll leave it on the bedside table if you decide you want it," he said, getting out of his seat.

"All right."

"I'm going to try not to hurt you, Ginevra," he said, helping me from the chair.

"I know you will try not to," I said as he sat me down on the edge of the bed. He crawled up behind me and started removing the pins that were keeping the flowers in my hair. Soon the wreath was off and he took it to his desk and put it on top of the cords. He came back to the bed and started to run a brush through my hair and I sighed appreciatively.

"Feel nice?" Snape asked as he brushed.

"Yes," I replied, knowing that the nice brushing would not last. Soon the strokes became easier and he stopped.

"Your hair is nothing like Lily's," he whispered into my ear. I was not sure whether to be happy or sad that he was thinking of her at a time like this.

"Both of us have ginger hair," I said, taking a lock between my fingers.

"Yours is a deeper red, not as carroty as her's but yours is much thicker than hers. It's only yours," he said, brushing a strand from my face.

"Thank you," I replied, feeling short of breath that he was so close to my ear and speaking with that voice. That voice is usually what kills me about him! It's smooth and silky, like velvet over rocks. He pushed his hands into my hair and started massaging my scalp, "You're good at this."

"You like it?"

"Yes."

I turned sideways to face him and looked right into his eyes. Blue eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

"You have blue eyes," I stated.

"_Occulus Dormiens_," he said, and the traces of blue vanished, "Don't I look scarier with black eyes?"

"I like the blue," I said.

"Fine. _Occulus Vitae_." The blue was back.

"Better," I said, inching my face closer to his, "Much better."

"Ginny," he said and then trailed off. I closed my eyes, waiting for his lips to make contact with mine, "Are you ready?"

I nodded slowly and felt his mouth descend upon mine. His lips were soft, although not very full, but enough. He worked his lips to capture my bottom lip and massaged slowly. I let out a breath and the one I breathed back in was shaky and surprised. He brushed his lips over mine two, three times and then wolfishly caught my upper lip gently between his teeth. I gasped for real this time, letting him know that I liked it. I felt him smile against my lips and I was emboldened. My tongue darted out and moistened his lips, nursing my way past the barrier of his mouth. I explored his inner mouth and his own tongue sought me out. They touched and I shivered, not expecting that response so quickly. He chuckled and tore his mouth from mine, blazing a trail of kisses down my jaw, which he cupped gently with his left hand. A nibble behind the ear confirmed a sweet spot and he nipped at my earlobe. I gasped as he ran the tip of his tongue on the outer curve of my ear.

I was going to have a good time doing this, and he would like it too! I decided that there and then. My hands jerked out of their own accord to the shirt where it was tucked into his trousers. I untucked the shirt and ran my fingers down the long row of buttons, leading not to his chin this time, but only to the base of his neck. I unbuttoned the first and second before he started to notice. When he did, his hands flew to the back of my neck and started working down my buttons. He was much faster than I, leaving the back of my dress gaping to my waist before I was half done with his shirt.

"Experience?" I asked.

"Only with little buttons," he said, pulling the shirt over his head. Tonks was right, he was beautiful. I moved to help him lay down and he lay his arms wide so that I could see all of him. Silvery scars criss-crossed his torso, like she had said. One looked newer, maybe only from before Voldemort dies, lying across his hip bone. It was pinker than the others and in a wide, jagged arc. I pressed a kiss on it and trailed my hair up his stomach. Pale alabaster skin that was warm to the touch greeted me, with slightly toned arms and elegant hands. Two shocks of black hair rose from his armpits and a light smattering made a trail above and below his navel, getting thicker where it disappeared below his belt.

"May I?" he asked, tugging at the fabric covering my shoulders. I nodded as he moved his mouth to the juncture of my neck and shoulder.

I knew I was lost.

**Sorry for the fade to black ending. If you would like the naughty version, just message me with your email (remember to put spaces in the address!) and I'll get that to you. **

**Some thanks to **

http:// sorcererscompanion. net/ arithmancy. html

http/members .aol . com/ AspireA1 /love. html

**for the numerology/arithmancy help.**

**Hannah**


	7. Quote War

"So," I said, pulling the sheet up under my shoulders. The sweat was starting to dry on my body and it was rather chilly.

"Yes, so," Severus said as well, pulling the blanket at the end of the bed around his waist.

"Well, what do we do now?" I asked, stepping quickly into the robe that he held up for me.

"I need to complete the process with a charm," he said, pulling a pair of sleep pants on under the blanket.

"This is alchemy," I stated, slipping on a pair of shorts under the robe.

"Yes it is," he replied, "And very complicated magic."

"That's amazing."

"Thank you," he said, handing me a sports bra and tee shirt from my bag.

"Women don't wear these to bed," I smiled, "I'd like to learn more about alchemy."

"I'm sure I would be quite an adequate tutor, if you wish it."

A realization hit me, "You developed this process, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," he said, helping me to lay back down on the bed that he had made, "I'm going to use my hands for this. It's got a higher chance of working if I do."

"All right," I said. He opened the robe and pulled up my tee shirt. Severus sat on the edge of the bed and placed his still-warm hands spanning my abdomen.

"_Paternus diligo veho Materia diligo recieve novus vita vultus quod veho ut vices._" He chanted, his hands started feeling warmer and warmer and I closed my eyes. A pleasant tingling started in my stomach and joined with the warmth to radiate out into my limbs and cover me with butterflies and heat. The feeling continued for so long that I started to feel drowst.

"That feels nice," I murmured.

"All finished," he replied, taking his hands away, "I need to test it now."

"Can you find out what kind it is?"

"It's most likely human," Severus said. I scoffed and he continued, "Yes, I can."

"I want to know," I said before closing my eyes again.

"Open your eyes," he commanded, "I want you to see this the same time I do."

"All right," I complied.

"_Infanta Revelitus_." He said, waving his wand over me. A warmth suffused my body and a clear white light rose above me.

"Good," I said.

"_Vultus Revelitus._" The second spell was intoned. Gold and silver sparks shot from his wand and came to form two X's.

"What is that?" I asked, puzzling over the now dissipating x's.

"In genetics a man carries both X and Y chromosomes and a woman only carries X's. An X chromosome—"

"Chromosome?"

"An X is what the woman's egg is. X is the shape of the chromosome. The man's can either be an X shape or a Y shape. When XX shows that means it's female. When it's an XY it's a boy. All children start out as female or XX and only later change to be an XY, hence loosing a limb, so to speak, off of the X."

"So I should tell my mother that it's a girl?"

"Yes, we are," he nodded.

"I'm carrying her. I'm birthing her. _I'm _having a girl," I told Severus, smiling lightly.

"Touché," he replied, "I need to warn you that you will not be carrying this child as long as most because of the alchemy involved. The infant forms more quickly this way. You should come to full term at about seven and a half to eight months."

"What are the implications of this? Will it be more uncomfortable?"

"In general the pregnancy just progresses faster. That's all."

It was silent.

"Now what do we do?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's have a little conversation," Severus said, "I need to know what you'll be doing in the future."

"I wasn't planning on going to University. I am probably going to go work at St. Mungo's or maybe Gringott's if I can't get on at the hospital. I would go to Uni, but I don't know if I can get scholarship enough."

"What do you want to do, Ginevra?" he persisted.

"I want to be a mediwitch. I want to deal with mental health. Especially Post-Traumatic stress, like Neville's parents. They're social vegetables although their bodies are next to perfect now," I rambled, "And then there are going to be repercussions from the war and now this silly law."

"You want to be a clinical nuerowitch. That takes almost three years at University to get the certification," he said.

"I know. And now I have the baby to deal with," I sighed.

"We have ample child care for when you're in classes. Both of our mothers would be ecstatic to watch her. You can start next winter, after you've had seven months with the baby. Or even after three months and start in the autumn."

"It's too expensive. Besides, the best school is in The States," I reminded him.

"So we'll re-locate. Simple as that," he replied nonchalantly.

"It's not that easy. Transatlantic apparation to our family is awful. And what about the baby? I can't be there all the time."

"I'll do it."

"What?" I said, incredulously.

"I'll take care of the baby."

"You teach all day—you can't!"

"Ginevra, when I suggested we re-locate, I meant it. I'm going to quit teaching. I'll do potions research while she's asleep or with one of our mothers. You'll go to classes."

"Severus! I'm not going to University, it's silly. Not when I have more important things to be doing, like being a mother."

"What school is it?"

"Stop it."

"What school is it?"

"It's not important—and it's _too expensive_!"

"If you won't tell me, I'll just send my recommendations to The Proctor Institute, along with Minerva's, Hermione's, Tonks', Madame Pomfrey's AND Professor Flitwick's. You're going if I have to force you."

"Fine," I growled, "And what are you going to do?"

"Finish the enhanced polyjuice. Update my facial cleansers and hair dyes. Maybe branch out to strange colors like blues and greens and oranges. I'll find something to do," he shrugged, "And in the meantime, before we leave Hogwarts, you can come here when you like and start the redecoration proceedings. We'll have to sell this house, of course, when we re-locate. There's a nice community right outside of Salem. I'll owl my real estate agent tomorrow, see what he can find."

"Don't you think that you're going a little fast?" I asked, my head feeling like it was spinning off my neck.

"I didn't say that you had to sleep with me, or even in the same bed. I'm just saying that I'm buying or leasing a house in The States so that you can go to school easily."

"You don't need to do this, Severus," I said, putting my hand over his, "I can go to school here in England, at least I think that I'm in England."

"You are. But you wanted to go to school there and I'm making sure that it's viable."

"Do I have any choice?"

"No. Not when you told me this is what you wanted. No choice. You'd best resign yourself to it now." He said, getting up only to sit back down in the chair he had previously occupied.

"One last chance," I said, coming to sit by him.

"Not going to reconsider," he reminded me, crossing an ankle over his knee and lacing his hands behind his head.

"It is The Proctor Institute, you know."

"Only University in The States worth going to," Severus replied.

"Not true! There is Virgo College on the west coast. They specialize in Astronomy, Divination and something called Focus Magic," I said, pointing out one, "And then there is the North Charleston University. They're renowned for their Arithmancy program and their Charms program is also up and coming."

"You've done your research," he commented, "I was merely pointing out that they were the most comprehensive school available. While North Charleston and Virgo offer fantastic programs, they are positively dismal in the others. I thought that you would want to get a thorough education. I've noticed that your study habits are rather voracious."

"I'm no Hermione, I am not going to spend every moment in the library, nor will I try to swallow text books whole," I laughed.

"I noticed that your tastes seemed to run more towards fiction than her preference of dry facts."

"How did you know?" I asked.

"You automatically knew the poet that I had stolen an inscription from. And your quote to me. I confess, I had to ask Hermione what it was from. She blushed and told me. Very literary."

"_The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled_." I shrugged.

"Plutarch. Nice, but, _I am a little man and this is a little town but there must be a spark in a little man that can burst into flame_," he countered.

"You're not having a quote war with me, are you? Try something harder than Steinbeck next time. _Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep burning, unquenchable_."

"Ward Beecher. _To love another person is to see the face of God_."

"Come on! You know who my father is! Of course I know muggle musicals. Jean Valjean, Les Miserables. _Love is a misunderstanding between two fools_."

"Oscar Wilde. Easy," he said, "_The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes_."

"Winston Churchill_. Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed_."

"That was said by Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. _I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth_. Try that one for size."

"You're one for playwrights, aren't you? Shaw, George Bernard. _The prime necessities for success in life are money, athleticism, tailor made clothes and a charming smile_." I replied, sure that he would not get that one.

"George Orwell," he replied almost instantly, "From Keep the Aspidistra Flying. Great work. _If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to_."

I sat stunned for a moment, racking my brain. I smiled, realizing that he had bested me, "I don't know."

"Dorothy Parker. That was a little obscure, wasn't it?" he asked, "Would you like another one?"

"Sure, give me a better one this time!"

"_Whenever I get a little money, I buy books, and if there's any left, I buy food_."

"Much easier. Erasmus. _A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books_."

"How telling those two quotes are. Walt Whitman, by the by, but your ideals and mine seem to contrast on the subject of learning."

"This will make for interesting conversation," I said, settling back into the chair.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

"Good morning, sunshine," Trinity said as I walked into our bedroom.

"Hi there. What are you doing?" I asked, setting my bag down by my bed.

"Just reading," she said, holding up her book from her place on her bed.

"Good book?" I asked.

"Great book," she said quietly.

"Listen, Trinity, I know that it's weird for me to be back after consummating my marriage with Snape," I said, sliding into bed with her.

"I don't know what you mean," she said, blushing.

"I need you to stop being flushed and look at me," I said, "I know that I kissed you. And it's all right."

"I wasn't too smart, was I? Casting an _obliviate _on a Legilimens," she scoffed.

"I wanted that memory. You wanted to kiss me. I don't know if my husband does at all. It's a happy memory."

"I wish I could forget it," she said.

"I don't. You might be the last person to kiss me when they actually wanted to. That in itself is a great honor, don't you think?" I laughed.

"Possibly," she said, putting her book down.

"So let's just go back to the way things were, when you thought I didn't know. I'm your friend, you're mine, etcetera, etcetera. I just wanted you to know that I know."

"I know that you wanted me to know that you know."

"Well, I know that you know that I know that you wanted me to know that I know."

"Pathetic. I know that you know that I know that you know that I wanted you to know that I know that you know….

**A special thanks to for their help with the quotes.**

**Another special thanks to my loyal readers who have stuck with me thus far. I'm pretty sure of where to go from here, plot wise. There will be one or two more chapters and then the epilogue afterwards. I think that the meat of this story is covered and I am going to do a touch and go scene plot of the next year, probably with scenes of Christmas and New Years, graduation, Ginny going to University, looking for a house, and so on and so forth. This story will probably cumulate in the birth of their daughter. If there are people out there who would like a play by play, IE, chapters and whole stories from the second week of September, where the story is at now until the baby is born and possibly after, please let me know. I'm just not sure what the conflict is in this story, other than the marriage law and Trinity. **

**Survey:**

**What should the baby's name be?**

**Should Sevvie and Ginny end up friends or more?**

**What should happen with Trinity?**

**How long do you want this story to be?**

**Thanks for enormous help, in advance. **

**Also, I'm still writing this on library computers. Naughty Chapter 6 should be sent out as soon as I get my laptop back. **

**H**


	8. Potions Row

I am Ginny Weasley. I dealt with Tom Riddle countless numbers of times, the previously called You-Know-Who twice and fought in three magical battles all before the age of legality. Now, after the most harrowing points of my life are over, hopefully, how am I more frightened of a potions class?

"You have to get up," Hermione reasoned with me from the foot of my bed.

"I won't. Not for God or for country."

"You're a stubborn little witch," Trinity said, turning to address Hermione, "Should we drag her out?"

"I'm still here," I mentioned, pulling my coverlet up to my chin.

"Then get out of bed like a rational human being," Hermione snapped.

"Don't you have a class at ten?" I retorted.

"Yes, but I stopped to see how my friend was before I went." She looked startlingly like she wanted to stick her tongue out at me.

I relented, throwing the covers back.

"About time," Trinity said, pulling a jumper on.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, brushing her fingers against my collarbone, "Is this a bite mark?"

"Tonks was right," I said, shrugging.

"About what?" exclaimed Trinity, pulling my hair to the side to look at the mark.

"That Snape looks good without his shirt on," I giggled.

"Ah, ug!" Hermione cried.

"Yes, yes, gape all you want," I smiled, sloughing off my nightdress for the usual uniform.

"Decent?" Trinity asked impetuously.

"It was nice," I replied, pulling my hair off my neck into a rather messy, albeit functional plait.

"How vague," Hermione murmured, helping me to tighten my tie.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"Bigger than this?" Trinity held up her pinky.

"Give him some credit!" Hermione said, holding her hands spaced in the air, "Bigger than this?"

I pulled her hands apart another bit.

"That big?" Trinity gasped, "But was he itty bitty around?"

"Around my wrist, maybe," I shrugged, putting on my shoes.

"Lucky!" Hermione cried.

"It wasn't _too_ bad," I replied, "I do have rather small wrists."

"A wrist is a wrist!" Hermione rolled her eyes, "I have to go now. I'll see you this afternoon, girls."

"See you," I called after her. The door closed and I put the last of my books into my satchel, "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go. Divination awaits," Trinity said, trying to smooth her dark bob of hair.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

"No, no, no!" I muttered frantically, my satchel banging my thigh harshly, "Damn!"

I skidded to a halt, throwing out my hands to pull on the heavy door.

"MacIntosh, please take 10 points from Gryffindor for Miss Weasley's tardiness," came the voice from the board. He hadn't even turned around.

"You can't take points from me!" I cried.

"Precisely. Mr. MacIntosh took 10 points from you."

"You told him to!"

"Ten more for your impertinence, Mr. MacIntosh?" He still had not turned around.

"I was with the Headmistress," I reasoned, going to my seat.

"You're wasting our time. Are you finished?" he said, very quietly as his robes swirled around his turning body.

"Yes, _darling husband_," I spat, dropping my bag.

You could have heard a pin drop.

"MacIntosh!" he said, his face reddening, "One hundred points!"

"One hundred and fifty to Gryffindor for courage," Janine chimed in, fixing Snape with a steely glint in her eye. There were perks with being on friendly terms with the head girl.

"Miss Levine! Miss Weasley—"

"That's Madame Snape to you!" I cried.

"Get out! Twenty five points from Gryffindor for Miss Levine's cheek, 50 from _Miss Weasley_ for her tardiness and general annoyance and ten points to Slytherin because I can!" he yelled, "MacIntosh!"

"You're hung like a pipe cleaner!" I screamed back, getting up from my seat.

His face went stony and then he whispered, "They why, pray tell, do your bear the mark upon your collarbone of our, ah, so to say, affections? You seemed to enjoy the consummation…quite a lot. In fact, four times."

"Twice! I faked the other two!" I cried, embarrassment flushing my face.

"Stupid, fickle little girl," He sneered.

"You fucker! You're a vile, horrible, greasy half bat of a man—"

"Enough!" he cried as I finally looked around at the rest of the class. Three quarters looked like they were about to die of shock. The other quarter were affected by the marriage law. They, on the other hand, looked fit to kill.

"Enough! GET OUT!"

"Fine, you boorish snarky git!" I yelled, throwing open the door, "But mark me, Snape, you are _cut off_!"

"All right, Madame Snape?" I almost ran smack dab into McGonagall.

"I er…well," I stammered.

"You forgot your note," she stated, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile forming on her lips.

"Headmistress, this girl—"

"Quite so. I noticed the house points on my way through the hall," she said, handing Snape the note.

She turned to look at the board. She waved her hand and upon the board scrawled the instructions for a potion that I am quite sure we were not going to be working on.

"Ah, starting the skele-grow potion? One of Professor Gatsby's favorites," she said, moving over to allow Hermione to come into the room, shooting me an apologetic look, "Why don't you come with me, Severus? You too, Madame Snape, Miss Levine."

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

"So, Madame Snape, you're going to need to make a decision," McGonagall said nearing on an hour later, "Seeing as though this arrangement cannot work out with Severus as your teacher you have to either find time to do an independent study with Hermione or take your NEWTS with the others that are affected by the law and choose to do so."

"May I speak alone with Professor Snape?" I asked, hesitantly looking over at my husband.

"Assuredly. I'll expect you back after dinner," she replied, standing.

"I am quite sorry this happened," I said, trying to make amends.

She softened, "I can't imagine how this must make you feel."

"Thank you," I said, exiting after Snape. I followed him to his quarters in complete silence. He let me in before him and he walked into the kitchen.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Severus called from the kitchen.

"I would like an apology," I muttered to myself.

"Ginevra?"

"Yes, please!" I called, pulling my shoes off to put my legs under me. I reconsidered and got up and went into the bedroom. I opened up the top drawer in the bureau. Several pairs of underwear, boxer-briefs if you must know, in dark colors and socks met my eyes. I tried again and opened the drawer below it. I hit jackpot this time and pulled out a pair of dark gray jersey cotton pants. I pulled them on under my skirt after I ran my fingers over the fabric, over the pants that he wore on our wedding night only two days ago. I remembered the silence in the bedroom as I lay there, warm physically, but cold mentally between the sheets. I had never slept with someone else in the bed with me but somehow I was lonely and wanted something or even my husband.

I took my skirt off and discarded my robes, jumper, tie and oxford shirt. I surveyed myself in the mirror, my undershirt clinging to my breasts and Severus' gray pants baggy around my hips. My face flushed as I looked at the mottled purple patch of skin on my neck and thought of what just transpired in class. I flicked my wand to fold my clothes on the bed. When I came out of the bedroom, Severus was already sitting in a chair. He gave me the eye, which I ignored, and sat down.

"Comfortable?" he cocked a brow.

"Yes," I said, pouring a cup and buttering a blueberry muffin, "Listen, about before, I'm sorry. I was nervous about seeing you in class today and I took it out on you. I'll assume that you feel the same way and we'll move past it."

"Ah, well, yes. Thank you," he replied, "It was highly inappropriate on both parts."

"When were you considering resigning?" I asked, breathing over my cup to cool it.

"As early as Christmas holidays. You could start University in the spring. It would give us time to get settled into the new area," he shrugged.

"You would do that?"

"I have an owl from my realtor, if you would like to see it later."

"You don't have to."

"I know. I will."

"So I'll take the NEWTS next week?" I asked.

"Is that what you want?"

Before I could answer, I had to spit my tea back into the glass, "Is your tea all right?"

"Yes, why?" he asked, getting up to come to my side.

"Metal. It tastes like metal, can't you taste it?" I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Metallic? Ah, it seems as though I am correct about the symptoms , they're early and stronger," he replied, getting up to pull a potion from the bathroom, "Here, drink this."

I downed the pale orange potion, grateful for the tangerine flavour, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I need you to know that whatever you decide to do, I will follow you."

"I know," I replied, "Do you mind if I lay down until dinner? I'm still not feeling the best."

"What are you feeling?" he asked, "The potion should have taken care of all the symptoms."

"I'm just overwhelmed. My stomach is fine," I replied.

"Be sure to let me know if it does start bothering you."

"I will. Is your bed all right for me to lie on?"

"Of course. We will have more to talk about when you awaken."

"I'm only lying down. You can sit by me, if you would like," I said, getting up from my chair.

"That's fine. Into bed with you," he said, opening the door for me. I moved my clothes to the floor and peeled the sheets back. Snape summoned an upholstered chair from across the room. I looked up at my husband, feeling scared of the future. Thoughts started reeling though my mind, thoughts of the future. Could I love this man? The one that embarrassed and upset me, but none-the-less comforted me with his presence.

"I need some things to happen," I stated, "I want my own bedroom when we move. Oh, and I do want to take the NEWTS next week."

"Listen, I know what we'll do. We'll get a place with three bedrooms. One for you, one for me and one to keep for when we decide that it's time to sleep together. Or use one for the baby. Either come first." He said.

"That makes me feel much better," I admitted.

"Would you like to see the owl from the realtor?" He asked enthusiastically. I nodded and he went to his desk and pulled out a large package. I severed the twine and started separating the pages into apartments or houses.

"Ginevra," Severus said suddenly, "I'm sorry about embarrassing you. I told you I wasn't always nice. But I still want to persevere with this getting to know you arrangement. If you consent, I'd like to take you to dinner on Friday, after your exams."

My heart softened and I lay the pictures aside, "Of course we can go to dinner," I responded, "I would love to."

"I'm glad. I won't wear these robes when we go out. Actually, I don't want to. I think I'll take you to a muggle place." He said, casually crossing an ankle over his knee.

"Muggle?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to take a nap with me?" I asked shyly.

"I've not had a nap in years," he replied.

"It's all right, you don't have to," I said quickly.

"I think I will."

With that, the dour and sarcastic potions master started to unbutton his frock coat. When his white cambric shirt underneath was revealed he sat down and unlaced his boots and pulled both socks and shoes off. The belt came off next and was hung over the back of the chair. The discarded wool coat and academic over robes were hung up. He un-tucked his shirt and pulled a pair of soft draw sting pants from the same drawer that I found the ones I was wearing in. He went to the bathroom and emerged moments later in a black tee shirt and the black fleece pants. His forearms were so pale that I could see the pale blue and purple veins there. The grey whisper of the dark mark still remained marred into his flesh.

"Lay down," I tried to say, but I could only whisper. He did lay down, under the covers next to me.

"How do you sleep?" he asked.

"Same as everyone else, I suppose."

"Don't be smart."

"On my side, usually. When Hermione stayed over she said that I didn't kick too much," I demonstrated, pulling my legs up to a ninety degree angle and put and arm under my head, "And you ?"

"On my back. Sometimes on my side, like you, but mostly on my back," he demonstrated as well. On an impulse I slid closer to him, putting my head on his chest. I threw a leg over his thighs. His body tensed before finally relaxing moments later. His arm snaked across my back and I smiled.

"Thank you," I sighed, nuzzling closer to his neck. I breathed in and smelled his scent.

"Are you sniffing me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. That damnable sexy eyebrow.

"Yes," I answered.

"And what did you find?"

"Dark chocolate, sandalwood and tea leaves," I replied. He made a noise of acknowledgement and I closed my eyes again.

"Cinnamon and clean laundry," Severus announced a moment later.

"What?"

"You smell of cinnamon and clean laundry," he reiterated.

I fell into a deep slumber then.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

"Look at them," I heard.

"Who would have thought he looked so peaceful in his sleep?"

"I guess he has been through a lot," the first voice said. I finally opened one eye and spied Trinity and Hermione standing at the foot of the bed. I groaned and closed it again.

"What are you doing here?" I moaned.

"Came to fetch you for McGonagall," Trinity smirked, snapping the Drooble's Best Blowing Gum she had in her mouth.

"Ginevra?" Severus said sleepily. Trinity stifled a giggle almost successfully.

"McGonagall sent Trinity and Hermione to get us," I said. He opened his eyes blearily.

"Get out," he said simply.

Trinity spoke up, "Ginny is our friend and since she decided to live with you, we'll be around, got it?"

"Disrespectful little chit," he groaned.

"Knock it off, Severus," I said, "They are my friends. Within these walls you're my husband, not their colleague, not their professor. Got it?"

He started to make a sharp retort but Hermione stopped him neatly with a well placed _silencio_.

"Like I said," Hermione stated, putting her wand back, "McGonagall wants to see you."

"Ready to behave?" I asked. He sneered and I took it as a yes, "_Finite Incantatum_."

"Let me at least put clothes on," he growled.

"Come on girls," I said, pulling them out of the room.

"Woah, Gins, you got a winner," Trinity said.

"Don't start," I replied, "Would you mind transfiguring these pants, 'Mione?"

"Sure. Just jeans?"

"Please," I said. I fell in love with jeans three years ago when I had stayed with Hermione at her parents. Now I get funny looks when I wear them, but they are much more comfortable than robes.

With a wave of her wand I felt my legs become encased in nicely worn denim. She produced a handkerchief from one of her pockets and promptly made a warm cable knit grey cardigan. I pulled it on gratefully as Snape walked out of the bedroom with a genuine scowl on his face.

"Well then, let's be off," he said, adjusting the front of his coat.

I smiled at Hermione when Snape gave my jeans a cross look.

"They're called jeans, Severus," Hemione said.

"I don't care what they're called. They're an abomination. You look like a loose woman. They leave nothing to the imagination," He scoffed.

"Yours leave a little too much to the imagination," I retorted, "I'm going to wear what I want and you can bloody well stuff it for all I care."

He grew a little purple around the mouth.

"When you start giving me fashion advice is when you start wearing pink robes and making up tests about yourself, a lá Gilderoy Lockheart."

The tongue sticking out urge was quelled for the moment.


	9. Day slash Night

"Dragon Heartstring and Unicorn hair are elemental opposites. Phoenix feather and Manticore Hair are elemental opposites. I don't remember the opposed element for Veela Hair," I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else.

"Also Unicorn Hair. A secondary substitute for Unicorn hair is Moonfilly blood, when freely given," Severus said from the wingback hair in the corner.

"Thank you," I replied, letting my head come down to rest on the plush ivory carpet.

"Why are you lying on the floor?" he asked.

"I told you this before. It's more comfortable."

"It's past curfew," he stated.

"Really. What are they going to do to me? Take house points?" I laughed.

"I think you're exhausted," Severus said to me, getting up from his chair.

"I agree. But I'm only doing it this once and it will be over in the morning," I said, rolling onto my back to look up at him, "I can see up your coat."

"Now you're just being silly," he said, giving me a hand to help me up.

"Thanks for the study area. It's just too loud everywhere I go."

"I understand. Sit down for a minute with me," he motioned to the seating in the room. I chose the chair opposite his and sat down. He gestured for me to wait a moment and walked into the kitchen. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the chair. I shivered a moment later and pulled the throw from behind my head to my lap. A shot of my wand to the fireplace a moment later left me more comfortable.

"Have a sip," he said, handing me a small glass with amber colored liquid in it.

"What is it?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at the strong scent.

"Ogden's Old. Fifteen year. You don't have to," he said, reaching for the glass.

"No, I will," I said, taking a mouthful. I promptly started coughing, great hacking chest coughs.

"Try breathing first. Maybe neat whiskey wasn't the best thing to start you on," he said, taking the glass from me and throwing several ice cubes and a squirt of water from his wand into it, "Try this."

I sipped again, the water and ice cooling the fire of the whiskey in my throat this time. It was surprisingly smooth going down and warmed my whole body.

"It's all right," I said, handing it back to him. I smiled sheepishly and he cleared his throat.

"Oh! Ginevra!" Severus cried, suddenly running to the bathroom.

"What?" I ran after him through the bedroom and into the bathroom.

"You're pregnant!" he said, frantically searching around in the cabinet.

"Yes, I am," I said, looking at him with suspicion.

"You can't have alcohol right now!"

"Severus," I said, shaking my head, "That's why I only imbibed two sips."

"Don't do it again," he warned, handing me a purple vial.

I sniffed it. This one wasn't flavored for my comfort, "What is this?"

"Sober-up potion," he said, handing me another, "And a hydrating solution."

"Sober-up? From two sips?"

"Just take them."

I did what he asked, just because I didn't feel like fighting. The first, as I thought, was not flavored and basically tasted like old vinegared socks and mothballs.

"Thuck! It puths my thung athleep," I said, glaring at him.

"It'll go away in a moment. Take the other," he said, leaning against the counter.

I downed it, glad that this one, pale blue in color tasted of spearmint.

"Thanks," I replied, looking into the bedroom at his bedside clock. 11:15.

"You really should be going. You have to be at the test early. Well, early for you," he said, leading me back into the living room.

"Noon? No, I'll be up by at least eleven fifty," I smirked, gathering up my books.

"Ginevra," Severus said, putting his hand on my arm as I started to walk out.

"Yes?"

"Would you please come here at six o'clock tonight? I promised you dinner," he said, eagerness shining in his eyes.

"Of course," I replied, "I don't blame you for not wanting to get me at my rooms. I'll be off now."

I smiled and reached up to him, tailing my hand along his jaw lightly before I flushed and walked out the door.

zZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

"How are things going with Lavender and Seamus?" I asked Hermione as we walked out of the testing site.

"Well, of course Lavender isn't pleased and Seamus also is not happy about the consummation. But it will only be once and then we'll go to the doctor. We found one that's a squib, she understands what's going on and supports our decisions," she said, hitching her satchel up again.

"I have an appointment with a woman in Salem next week. I had to take a potion for the morning sickness today. Severus flavored it for me though."

"Snape being nice?" Hermione asked, quirking a brow.

"Yeah, who would have thought?"

"What did you to to him?"

"Agreed to a date?"

"Snape? A date?"

"Stop being so surprised every time he shows a human tendancy."

"I'll try. What kind of date is it?"

"I don't really know. Muggle."

"I'll go ask him. Meet me in my rooms."

"You'll go ask him?"

"Yeah. I have to give him these papers anyway," she replied heading off, "Oh, yes, password is 'do your homework'."

I laughed, heading in the opposite direction. When I got to the floo I threw in a liberal amount and called.

"Oh dear Tonksy baby,"

"Gins?" Came her voice back.

"Yeah. Hermione asked me to call you to her rooms. I have a date."

"A date?" Minerva McGonagall's head popped through, replacing Tonks', "You don't need her, you need me."

"You?"

"I am a transfiguration mistress."

"All right. Come to Hermione's rooms, both of you," I rolled my eyes and laughed.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

"So, Remus," McGonagall said after I had let the three of them into Hermione's rooms, "You dated our darling Severus for a while- any pointers for Ginny?"

"Minerva," Remus said warningly.

"What? It's not like it's a secret."

"Yeah, we all know," Hermione said.

"And you?" Remus addressed me.

"Yup, me too," I laughed.

"Fine," He sighed, "Severus and I were friends for a while before Tonks and I started having problems. He had made it known a while before that he would not be opposed to having a relationship with me. So, one night, at headquarters…"

"One night at headquarters what?" I cried.

"One night they bounced into bed and Remus didn't let him out for _hours_," Tonks finished.

"Fantastic?" McGonagall took the words right out of my mouth.

"Ginny is a lucky girl."

"Now is he as hung as she said he was?" Hermione pressed.

"Depends. How big did she say?"

"More than eight inches," Tonks replied.

"True," He smiled, "Now, Minerva, Tonks, Hermione, let's find dear Ginny an outfit that'll make Severus want to show her exactly how wild he is.

We all went back to my rooms and they decided that everything I owned was just too wizardy we journeyed to Tonks' closet where many a scandalous outfit was produced.

"Wow, Gins, that's absolutely smoldering," Hermione said, motioning me to turn in a circle for her.

"Thanks," I smiled. I stood in Tonks' closet, my ankles and feet covered with clothes. I turned around for the gathered group, the floaty silk swirling around my legs softly. I wore a cream colored corset top with black piping around the top and bottom and along the boning. I was laced with black ribbons in the back and closed with frog closures in the front. A vibrantly colored skirt fell to mid-calf orange at the waistband and flowing to light red and then a deep crimson at the hem. A simple pair of black heels completed the outfit. Minerva wrapped a sheer cream colored wrap around my shoulders and on second look I saw that it was shot with gold threads.

"Let's leave your hair down tonight," Tonks suggested. I agreed and sat down patiently for her to put my makeup on.

"Remus, tell me more. My Mum and Tonks led me to believe that the thing between you and Severus lasted a bit longer than a day/night."

"And day/night, day/night, day/night, day/night…" Tonks quipped.

"Nymphadora, do you want her to know or not?"

"I want to know," Hermione inserted.

"I as well," I said.

"Severus was a good lover. I won't call him kind or gentle. No use getting your hopes up. While the sex was fantastic the best part of out relationship was the equality and the loyalty. No one ever doubted who's side Severus was on, even if I was wrong. He'd tell me that later. This may be a bit graphic, but, it's the best way I know to describe the even footing we were on in our relationship: In male on male sex there's a man and a man-woman. At times I was the man. At others I was the man-woman, if you catch my deeper meaning."

"Wow. I never want to think of Snape getting it in the arse ever again. No offence meant, Remy," Hermione said.

"None taken," he said as Tonks threw a hint of berry shaded lipstick on my lips. She frowned and replaced it with a deep wine color.

"Blimey, I forgot," Hermione said, jumping from her seat, "Harry and Ron are coming today."

"When are they going to be here?" I asked.

"Tonks! Moony!" Came Ron's voice from the sitting room.

"Speak of the devils," Hermione said, rushing up to greet them. They came back into the bathroom where Tonks and Remus and I sat.

"Hello Moony, Minerva, Tonks, and Gin," Harry said, hugging us each in turn.

"Hello Harry," I smiled.

"You look smashing, darling," he replied.

"My baby sister there," Ron said warningly.

"Come off it, Ronniekins," I retorted, embracing him next, "Is it possible that you've grown even taller?"

"Possible," he smiled.

"He eats enough," Hermione said.

"He always has," I replied.

"Sit down, Ginny, we've got to finish your visage," Tonks said.

"We'll be in the sitting room if you need us," Minerva said, leading the others out of the room.

When Tonks pronounced me finished we came upon a rather passionate argument in the sitting room.

"So you're just going to sit there and wait until the law affects you and you can't choose who you're with?" Hermione crid.

"I don't know, Mione, I just don't know," Harry replied.

"You're Harry Bloody Potter, you could choose anyone!"

"Ministry does the selections," he said, looking to Minerva for support.

"You'll have your pick of women, Harry," she confirmed.

"I say that you grab that pretty young thing that we met at Ginny's wedding. Smith, wasn't it?" Ron said.

"Trinity?" Hermione and I exclaimed at once.

"She's not your type of girl," I said quickly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's not the type just to bounce into bed with a pretty face," Hermione replied.

"Are you calling me a playboy?"

"If the shoe fits," Hermione muttered.

"Awesome, just awesome. I think she's sweet, so sue me."

"Anyway," Remus interjected, "You need to get going, Ginny. It's almost 6:00."

"You're right. I'll see you all later."

I sighed as I walked out the door. I took a turn towards my rooms so that I could pick up a handbag when I bumped into Trinity.

"Ready for the big date?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Where are you headed?"

"Tonks'. We're going to play monopoly tonight."

"Don't. Harry's there trying to convince us that the two of you should marry."

"What?"

"Basically he thinks you're pretty."

"Silly man," she smiled.

"Well, it's your choice," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Thanks for the warning. And you look good enough to eat, no pun intended."

"Trinity. What am I going to do with you?"

"I don't know. Have a good time though."

"Thanks," we parted ways and I went back to my rooms to get the bag I left.

I got to Severus' rooms at let myself in. I was about to call for him when I heard the first notes of an unfamiliar song. I looked at the clock. I was early. I focused on the music and followed it until I spied Severus sitting in his study, his fingers stroking ivory and black keys.

I stood mesmerized by the sight of him, his hair falling over his shoulders as he played.

Moments later a deep, rich baritone joined the piano.

_I heard there was a secret chord_

_that David played and it pleased the lord_

_but you don't really care for music, do you?_

_It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth_

_the minor fall, the major lift._

_The baffled king composed hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, hallelujah_

He sang, his voice low and mournful. The notes combined with his voice made my heart turn over and I suddenly yearned for my husband.

Suddenly the music stopped and he whipped his head over to look at me.

"That was beautiful," I whispered, unable to choke out more.

He merely inclined his head in acknowledgement, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"I suppose," He said, going to the hall closet, "I didn't buy you flowers."

"I didn't expect it," I snorted.

"But I did take the liberty of buying this," he said, pulling a muggle leather jacket out, "You see, as a half-blood I have an appreciation of muggle transportation. Have you ever ridden a motorbike, Ginevra?"

"A motorbike? You have a motorbike?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do. Wear these," he said, handing me the jacket and a round hard thing.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A helmet. It goes on your head when you ride. Put it on outside."

I put on the jacket, surprised at it's weight. He also had obviously put a warming charm on it as well.

"Shall we?" he extended his arm.

"Where _are _we going?" I asked a second time. I took a moment to appraise his apparel, which was not usual robes. Instead he wore a pair of plain black trousers and a deep blue colored button up shirt. He wore a runic pendant around his neck and he looked fresh from a shower.

"Tell me, Ginevra, Can you dance?"

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

**Song is 'Hallelujah', written by Leonard Cohen. The version that I like best is by Rufus Wainwright. This is the song I heard in my head while writing this. **


	10. What You Want

"Over here," he said, leading me outside to a shed. He threw open the doors and went inside. A light was flicked on and moments later was followed by a deep, throaty purr. He rolled the bike out and put down the kickstand.

"This is Abigail," he said, patting the seat. The seat was black leather atop a midnight blue fuel tank. This was not a sporty bike like Harry had, but a more classic one, like Sirius'.

"She?"

"Always a she. Come on," Severus said, swinging his leg over to straddle the seat.

I climbed on after him after putting on the helmet like he had showed me.

"Put your feet here," he instructed. "And you can put your arms around my waist. If you want, that is. There's this bar here that you can hold on to as well."

I held on like he said to, pressing my body against his back. Moments later we were flying down the drive, past the tall gates. I waved to a girl in the year behind me and she gasped. My red hair was easily recognizable.

I'd never been down the road out of Hogwarts before. It was a lush tree-lined road and I could see the setting sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves. We came to a main road and a left soon after brought us to an expressway, which we got on. The first sign I saw stated 12 kilometers to Edinburgh. The wind in my hair coupled with the sunset and being pressed up against my husband was exhilarating. It ended too quickly for my tastes because soon we were zipping along the cobbled streets of Old Town, Edinburgh. Severus pulled in and parked at a lot across from a long row of shops and restaurants.

"This way, Madame," he said, helping me off.

"That was amazing," I gushed, "You'll have to take me more often."

"Whenever you like," he said, shrinking down our helmets and jackets before putting them in his pocket.

"Where are we eating?"

"Right here," said Severus, pointing to a door. The sign above it read 'The Witch's Close".

"I thought it was a mu—"

"It is," he cut me off before I could say muggle. He opened the door for me and we were taken immediately to our table. Severus pulled out my chair for me and I sat down.

He ordered a glass of red wine for himself and I chose an iced tea when the waiter came.

"I've already had a chance to look over your NEWTS," He said nonchalantly, browsing the menu.

"Have you?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes. Quite good, I thought."

"They can't be scored that quickly," I retorted.

"It's magic, silly."

"Then why do they send them out so late?"

"Keep people in suspense, I suppose."

"Like you're doing now?"

"Quite," he laughed.

"Well?"

"Remember that the highest you can get is a twelve. Average is six. Hermione got eleven and Ron got six."

"Severus!"

"Three exceeds expectations and nine outstandings," he said proudly.

"Oh, Severus!" I cried, taking his hands from across the table, "Mum will be so pleased, Percy and Bill got better scores than me, but that doesn't matter now. She'll probably make a cake for me and send it over when I tell her. Hope it's a lemon cake."

"I would much prefer chocolate," Severus said, smiling.

"I never figured you as much of a chocolate man," I giggled.

"I quite like it, especially on fruit."

"I've been wanting a lemon cake for ages though, and I'm pregnant so you have to give me what I want," I smirked.

"Like hell," he scoffed. He put a hand up to his forehead to brush away several errant hairs and the platinum of his wedding band caught my eye.

"I'm glad you're wearing it. Your wedding ring, I mean."

"Why wouldn't I? You do," He replied.

"I'm not sure. I just thought you might not." I said before the waiter came. We placed our orders: he the roast duck, I the Cornish hen. I was frightfully hungry and my stomach agreed loudly.

"Are you hungry?" Severus asked.

"Yes, famished," I replied.

"You have a growing baby. You need to eat," he chastened me before flagging our waiter back for a basket of croissants, which he buttered heavily before giving it to me. I tried to eat it slowly but it didn't work. Severus smiled as I ate.

"What shall we name her?" he asked suddenly.

"I've always liked gem stone names like Ruby and Pearl. And flower names but they seem so overused. Daisy and Dahlia and Holly."

"Very organic. I tend to like mythological names: Diana, Artemis, Gaia or Bridgette. Maybe a Calliope or Persephone. Always antiquated names, like Antares."

"You're not naming my daughter after me," I said, salivating over the soup that had been placed before me. "She's her own woman."

"How quickly the child has grown on me," Severus said, spooning a bit of the creamy soup into his mouth.

"The idea does grow on you. Or in you, either one."

"You'll be two weeks closer to delivery tomorrow. I've done the calculations and you should give birth at 32-35 weeks. The doctor next week in Salem should be able to tell you an exact date, but I'm saying mid-April."

"How do you figure?"

"September is the ninth month," he explained. "There are roughly 30 days in each month, so therefore 270 days had passed in the year when you concieved. Your gestation period should be around 225 days or seven and a half months. 270+225495. If you subtract 365 from 495 you get 130. Then 130 divided by 30 (days in a month) you get 4.3 repeating-- four and a third months through the year. Making it essentially April 10th."

"That was complicated. Why not just add seven and a third months to September fifth?"

"More impressive," he shrugged.

I smiled and continued sipping my soup.

"On a totally different subject- have you selected the places that you want to tour from the realtor?"

"Mostly. There were some, though, that I thought were really out of our price range," I commented.

"I gave her the price caps," he replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, Severus, we don't need ten bedrooms. Eight will do," I laughed.

"There was only one eight bedroom on the list. If you liked it best…"

"Four was my limit. I discarded all the others."

"You know, I saw a nice loft in Boston, not too far away. It's in an all-wizarding building, so they are floo and apparition accessible," he said.

"Sounds nice to have magic folk around. They won't question if they can't hear the baby at night."

"We'll hear her," he said.

"Welcome to sleepless nights." I said, toasting to it. He clinked his glass gently to mine and we drank to our child.

Later, as we danced in a jazz bar down the street we danced for us and we danced for our future.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

"Gins!" Hermione called through the floo, "Will you come down to me office?"

"I'll be there in a moment," I said, getting up from the sofa where I was currently reading a book and putting off getting up. I trudged up from my spot and walked down.

"So the wedding's this Saturday," She stated, pouring a cup of tea. She offered to me and I took a cup.

"Sorry to hear that."

"Me too," she replied, "Anyway, it's just going to be in McGonagall's office at noon and Seamus and I will go and 'do the deed' right after. The whole ordeal should be done by one. No. The whole ordeal should be done by May. I'll be able to give Seamus and Lavender their baby and get on with my life. Sorry for the rant, Gins. I wanted to ask you if you would be a witness. Seamus' is Dean. So I thought I would ask my best girlfriend."

"Of course I will. But I have to go, sorry, 'Mione. I have some things to do. Mostly I need to get things packed up from the Burrow and in my rooms. This whole moving thing…it stinks."

"I understand," she said, hugging me tightly, "But at least you can get to know your husband and maybe fall in love. Even if it is Snape."

"Let's work on calling him Severus, OK?" I smiled as I walked out the door. I met Severus as he was walking from the Headmistress' office and I was crossing the corridor.

"Ginevra," he purred his hello.

"What are you going to be doing this fine afternoon?" I asked, putting my hand in the crook of his arm. We started walking towards the Great Hall.

"Classes are through and I'm debating the merits of reading and getting nothing done, but happily or starting to pack up the lab and my bedchambers and getting rather cranky."

"Aren't you always cranky?" I asked playfully.

"I've been quite nice to you, haven't I?"

"Should I ask some of your students?" I chided.

"No, thank you," he said. "What are you going to be doing?"

"I'm headed to the Burrow, trying to get things packed up. Professor McGonagall is allowing me to stay in the prefect's rooms for a while longer. But I might stay with Mum and Dad longer or Harry and Ron after I've worn out my welcome here."

"Nonsense, you'll always be welcome here," he scoffed.

"Well, thank you." I smiled, going through the doors that he was holding open. "I'll leave you here. I'm going to go to McGonagall's office and floo to Mum's."

"You'll be back tonight?"

"If not I'll be back in the morning in time to get to the States in plenty of time," I said.

"Be sure to be back by nine. Nine AM is noon in the States and your appointment is at twelve-thirty."

"I know, Severus."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, leaning down to my face level. "May I kiss you?"

My heart jumped and I nodded, my lips curving upward. His lips descended on mine in a short, chaste kiss. I scowled in irritation at the briefness.

"Why don't you try kissing me properly?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip.

He looked right and left before tangling his hand in my hair and kissing me properly, his lips skimming along my jaw and neck, his teeth gently nipping at my earlobe.

"Is this what you wanted?" he whispered in my ear before running his tongue over the top edge of my ear.


	11. Portus

"Ginny! Oh, Ginny!" My mother cried, leaping up from her seat by the back door to greet me. The sun was shining a little less than it had in days past and it had dropped in degrees as well.

"Hi, Mum," I smiled against her neck.

"It feels like it's been ages and ages since I last saw you! Oh, I know it's only been a few days, but I've missed you!" She said, pulling me inside the door. "Would you like something to eat? Of course you would, you've got a growing baby!"

"Mum!" I said, stopping her, "I've come to tell you some things and then to pack up my room, all right?"

"Ginny! You've only just come!"

"I know, and I'm sorry but I have a doctor's appointment in America in the morning and I have lots to do."

"At least let me get you some cheese and crackers to eat while we pack, eh?" She said, bustling into the kitchen. I sighed and started up the stairs. I climbed to the fourth floor and went in my tiny bedroom.

"Ginny!" Mum called as she walked in the door with the tray, "I hear from a reliable source that you've gotten your examination scores back."

"Yes, Mum, I have them. Now who did you hear it from?" I smirked.

"It's nothing big, dear; what did you score?"

"Who told you?"

"All right, Severus told me, but he wouldn't tell me the score!"

"He was right to!"

"Ginny, darling…"

"All right. I've gotten nine outstandings and three exceeds expectations." I couldn't help but to be at least a little proud.

"Oh,Ginny!"

"Now don't jump up and bake me a cake, I want your help first," I smiled.

"What kind would you like?" she asked as I handed her my shrunken trunk from the closet. She enlarged it and popped it open.

"Oh, lemon, please! I've been wanting a lemon cake so badly. Severus made fun of me for it, though. Can you believe he would kill for chocolate?"

My mother just smiled at me and lovingly folded the quilt that I had made my fifth year.

"What are you smiling about?" I couldn't help but smile, too, as I started folding the various things that I had made for a house. I placed two pillow shams atop the two quilts and one knitted afghan I had already made.

"You've started referring to him as Severus. Things must be going well," she said. "Which is why I am not putting up such a fuss when you come here without any notice and start packing?"

"I forgot to tell you," I sighed, sitting back on my bed, "I have forgotten to tell you a lot."

"We have much time now, darling," she said, looking at the pictures sitting on my dresser.

"I haven't told you that the baby is a girl," I said.

"A girl?" she breathed in awe, "Who would have thought the first girl in such a long time in the Weasley family would have a baby girl."

"I'm the seventh girl in the seventh generation," I said, reciting what I'd been told for years.

She embraced me and we abandoned the cleaning for more pleasant things, like eating our cheese and crackers and chatting.

zZzZzZzZzZzZz

Mum was able to convince me to stay the night after she promised me a cake to take back to Hogwarts with me. We spent the evening talking about names for the baby and things that would be going on in the coming months. I fell asleep around midnight, my eyes and brain worn out from debating baby names with my mother.

I awoke as the sun streamed through my bedroom window and infiltrated the curtains. I stretched, feeling all of the tension from sleep drain out of my muscles. I winced as my left hip gave a pop before leaning over to the bedside table to get the draught that Severus kept me stocked with. I downed it and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I groaned when I saw that it was nearly 8:30. I only had half an hour to get dressed and floo back to Hogwarts. I had not intended to stay the night in the first place, so no bag was packed. All I had available were thin, summer robes that wouldn't do for Scotland. Severus had told me that America was warmer than here so I figured they would be good enough. I fingered through the robes hanging in my wardrobe before I came to my favorites, one that my Great-Aunt Muriel had bought me summer before last. They were long and gauzy, made of a silk georgette fabric. The under-robe was deep blue with blood-red accents, the fabric floating in three layers. The first was a tunic that cinched at my waist and two very thin overskirts. The outer robe was the same blood red as the accents and had no sleeves. A wide sash went over both the outer and under-robes and I tied the ends at the back. I pulled my hair back in a loose plait and pulled on a pair of brown leather sandals. My money pouch tied onto the sash of my robes and I was finished with my preparations. I remembered slightly belatedly that my wedding and engagement rings were still sitting on my bedside table. I slid them on and took a final look in the mirror before walking out the door.

A quick goodbye to my mother put me through the floo and into my bedroom at Hogwarts.

"Hey, stranger," said Trinity from the bathroom doorway.

"How are you doing, love?" I asked, hugging her tight.

"Late for class," she smiled as we pulled away.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too, Gins. I'll miss you more when the new prefect is in here."

"Who is it?"

"Lia Manette," she replied.

"She's quiet. Not too bad. You need to get to class, don't you? We'll catch up more later, all right?" I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and we promised to meet the next week for the Hogsmeade weekend before she scurried out. I glanced at the clock, it read 8:55. I was going to be a few minutes late to meet Snape. I left the prefect's quarters and made my way to the library. I found the door to Severus' chambers and rapped my knuckles against the wood.

Severus opened the door quickly and he bade me come in.

"Right on time," he said, finishing the last of his morning tea in one gulp.

"I thought I might be late," I smiled, rifling through the Daily Prophet, "Any news?"

"None, really. Just the usual Skeeter slander."

"Joy," I muttered dryly.

"Shall we?" asked Severus, who had just appeared at my shoulder. I looked up and smiled at him.

"We shall."

I let him escort me to the entrance hall where we met Professor Flitwick, who had set up the international portkey for us.

"Ah, here we are," he beamed when he saw us. He rummaged around in his pockets and retrieved what looked to be an old coal scuttle, only in miniature. "_Portus_."

The object glowed purple for a moments before settling back to it's original.

"Thank you, Professor," I said as I took hold of the portkey.

"Not a problem, Madame," he smiled. I felt the familiar tug of a hook behind my navel and we were off with a great whirl.

We landed in a stark white room, our knees cushioned by a mat on the floor.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around for any sign.

"We're in the international portkey office, United States Edition," he replied, helping me to my feet. "We're close enough that we can apparate from here."

"Thank you," I said, holding on to his arm for support.

"Did you take your potion this morning?"

"Yes, I did, but the portkey sensations aren't helping," I said, laughing slightly. I curled my fingers around the soft fabric of Severus' robes, realizing that again they were not his teaching robes. They were made of fine sateen and I liked them immensely. They were of the usual style, but the cloth covered buttons were replaced with small silver ones and the fabric was finer.

"Would you like a drink before we apparate?" Severus asked me, helping me out of the room. "They usually have juice in the atrium."

"I could have some and not complain," I replied, letting Severus guide me to a bank of elevators. We got in and he it the '1' button. A moment later we were getting off and making our way over to the table set up. A smiling old woman handed me a paper cup of orange juice and I thanked her before drinking steadily.

A zap later and we landed in a long, thin alley between two buildings.

"Have I told you that I like your robes?" I asked when I caught my balance again.

"You have not," he smiled. "Thank you."

"Where are we going from here?" I asked as we stepped out of the shadow of the alley.

"Just about a block down," he said, taking my arm. I looked around as we walked and realized just how special Salem was. Some people I could tell were muggle tourists and others I knew were magic folk, but there were some that blurred the line. A lot of people were dressed in robes like ours and they mingled with people who were wearing blatantly muggle attire. It was a strange sight to see. I didn't realize that we were at our destination until Severus prodded me with his elbow.

"Sorry," I replied, "I just got caught up in people watching."

"It's all right. Now, I've been told that the receptionist that you sign in with is a squib. You need to tell her that you are a witch and not a muggle, so that the doctor can treat you properly."

"Sounds good," I said nervously. "Do you know what I should be expecting?"

"You'll be fine, darling," he said as he opened the door for me. Severus' first term of endearment sent waves of happiness through my body. He took a seat in the lounge and I walked up to the window.

"Ginevra Weas-Snape, for Dr. Callum, please," I said.

"Ginevra what?" the receptionist replied, smiling at me.

"I'm sorry, I'm newly married. It's Ginevra Snape, please."

"Dr. Callum will be with you shortly. I just need you to fill out this paper-work for now," she said, handing me a clipboard.

"I'm magical, too," I said in a low tone so that only she could hear it.

"Oh, well that changes things. Fill out these instead."

She exchanged my clipboard for another and I took a pen and retreated to Severus' side.

"So many questions," I muttered.

"Can I be of help?" he asked from beside me.

"I'll need you to fill out some of this too," I said, looking down the list. I stopped to ask Severus of the address of Spinner's End because I didn't have an address of my own any longer. He supplied it and I continued through the list. Heart problems, sexually transmitted diseases and diabetes were all checked 'no' and I continued.

"Snape! Ginevra Snape!" called a nurse from a doorway. I handed over the clipboard to Severus and I followed the woman. She weighed me and took my pulse and blood pressure before letting me into a room and instructing me to lie on the bed.

I only had to wait a moment because Dr. Callum came through the door as the nurse went out.

"I'm Dr. Callum and I presume that you are Ginevra Snape?" she asked. I nodded and she erupted in a smile before taking my hand to shake. "We're greatly indebted to you and your Order."

"Thank you," I smiled.

"All right now. I see that you are a product of the stupid British Marriage Law. How are things in that? No history of abuse, either physical or verbal?"

"None. I got lucky."

"Very good. Lay back, please and we'll see what we're dealing with."

I did as she said and she placed her hands on my abdomen. They were surprisingly warm and I instantly relaxed, feeling stress and soreness leak from my body.

"Empath?" I questioned. She nodded and continued her work. I let my eyes drift closed and stay in the warmth that she was generating.

"Mrs. Snape?" she said a moment later. I opened my eyes blearily as she took her hands away, "Do twins run in your family?"

zZzZzZzZzZ

"So I got in there and Dr. Callum goes, 'Mrs. Snape?' and I kind of snap out of the empathy trance and she says, 'Mrs. Snape, do twins run in your family?' and I just laughed," I said, recounting the tale to Severus as we sat outside the restaurant that we had picked for our brunch and their late lunch. I was famished as I dug into my buttermilk battered shrimp.

"I'm assuming that they're identical?" Severus smiled, holding several chips- I mean French fries, in his left hand.

"That's why we didn't notice there were two before," I said. Severus reached across the table and ran his fingers across my cheek. He gave me a genuine smile and I felt very warm inside.

"I confess, Ginevra, that I never thought that I would have a family. Now I have children and a companion and I couldn't be happier."

"I could be your family too," I said, feeling my cheeks flush lightly.

"I would like nothing better."

Our momentary lapse into romance was stopped by a man stopping by our table.

"I'm terribly sorry," said the man, "But I couldn't help but wonder if you were Professor and Mrs. Snape?"

Severus' head turned, "Yes, we are."

"I'm Adrian Pucey. You were my head of house some years ago, Professor Snape," the man said.

Severus' eyes lit up, "Adrian! I didn't recognize you. What are you doing in the states?"

"I'm studying at the Corey Institute here in Salem," said Adrian, "I also work as a real estate agent part time, which is why I'm meeting you. My superior, Margot Litch is ill today and I've been asked to take her place."

"Sit down," I said, motioning to the empty place at our table.

"You're not Ginny Weasley, are you?" he asked as he sat.

"I'm Ginny Snape now," I replied, looking at him. He was quite handsome and tall, with sandy blonde hair and a chiseled face. He smiled at me.

"I was four years above you," he explained, "I would remember your red hair anywhere."

I looked over at Severus, his lips turning into a tight line at Adrian's flirtations.

"Ginevra and I were affected by the Marriage Law," Severus explained.

"Sorry to hear that. I became an American citizen before it was passed, thank the Gods." He replied sympathetically, pulling a folder from his satchel.

"We're here today not only to look for a home for Severus and I, but it's been confirmed that we're having twin girls come April," I said excitedly.

Adrian smiled broadly, reaching a hand to Severus to shake, "Congratulations, Professor. You deserve it!"

"Thank you, Adrian. You're four years out of school, though; I believe that you can call me Severus."

"Well, thank you, Severus. I'm sorry that we don't have a lot of time to catch up, we have several places to look at and not a lot of time."

"I'm finished," I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

"I'll go pay," Severus said, getting up and walking inside.

"I've not seen you, Adrian, since the end of the war. How did you fare?" I asked.

"I did all right. Both of my parents, naturally as Death Eaters, were killed but I'm still here."

"The Order appreciated your work, even if it was very last minute." I replied, taking the last sips of my drink.

He flushed crimson, "Thank you."

"Are you ready?" Severus asked when he came back.

"Yes," I replied, letting him pull my chair out for me. He took my arm in a territorial gesture.

"Right, we'll go over here, behind these bushes and here's the portkey to the first place. _Portus_."

"Off we go," I said, putting a finger on the rubber duck proffered. In another swirl we were let down on a soft lawn.

"We're at 9009 Georgetown Road. This is a four bedroom, three and a half bath home built around 1930. It's on two and three quarters acres." Adrian said, walking to the front door.

Severus and I walked into the house and were met by a foyer with cobalt blue tiles and white walls. A carpeted staircase was ahead of us. To our right, past two glass paned pocket doors was the living room, complete with a fireplace. We continued walking around and appraising the house to each other while Adrian waited in the foyer. The house was nice enough and it had a clear view of the woods, but it just didn't click with us.

The next house we saw was an Early American, built around 1790. The third was a large contemporary styled house that I thought I might like but ended up hating. The fourth and fifth were simply too large- I couldn't scream in the room we liked for the babies and be heard in the master bedroom. Trust me, I tried. Next we headed to Boston, where there were two city apartments waiting for us to look at. The first was simply too fancy, I would never get comfortable with Louis XVI styling.

And finally we hit gold. As soon as we got off the elevator on the fourth floor of the old dress factory I knew it. Adrian unlocked the front door and we stepped into a two storey foyer. Three skylights let light filter in and there were three small lights on thin silver cable coming down to light it at night. To our right and left were a dining room and a formal living room. The dining room was painted a rich sage green the looked nice next to the wood floors. These were separated from the foyer with large sweeping arches. We stepped through the dining room to the kitchen, which had its own large pantry and area to put another less formal dining table. This opened up to the living room, which had a wall of windows. They went all the way to the ceiling, two stories high, in three rows and columns of windows. I looked at Severus and he smiled at me. To our left was a large airy room which could function at Severus' lab. There was a full bathroom as well. We examined the formal living room, which was a little dark, before journeying up the stairs. There was an open railed walkway at the top of the stairs. On one side were two bedrooms, connected by a bathroom. A third bedroom was in the middle with its own bathroom and the master bedroom was at the opposite end of the walkway. We walked into the master bedroom and I knew for absolute sure that this is where I wanted to live.

"You like it?" asked Severus from behind my left ear. I turned to face him.

"I like it very much." I put my arms around his neck and hugged tight, "Can we?"

"It's a little small for four people instead of three, but I think we can manage," he murmured, resting his head atop mine.

"Let's finish looking," I said, taking his hand. We had a large bed chamber with a set of French doors leading outside on the western wall. Outside was a small balcony that we could put a set of outdoor chairs on. On the eastern wall was the door to the bathroom. I went in took in the large bathtub and glass shower. The toilet was partitioned off in a little room of its own and there were two sinks, so I wouldn't have to nag Severus to clean the little hairs that he shaved off his chin out of mine. Another door revealed the biggest closet I'd ever seen.

"You like it?" I asked.

"If you're happy, so am I," he said.

"Do you like it?" I repeated.

"I like it."


	12. Suprises

**Here we go! Since I am snowed in at my house, I thought that I would update (Ahem, finally)! Don't kill me…**

"What time is Lia moving in?" I asked, stuffing my favorite pillow into the top of my trunk.

"Too soon," Trinity replied, rolling up the quilt on my bed.

"We've had three extra weeks together."

"We've needed you here, Gins."

And I was needed. Three weeks ago Hermione and Seamus were married in a farce of a ceremony. It was rather traumatizing for Hermione, as she relayed the story to me later. I stood witness in Minerva's office for her while Lavender Brown stood over my shoulder glaring at Hermione. The newly married couple walked down to Hogsmeade as soon as the five minute ceremony was over to a small inn on the outskirts. It took much longer than anticipated; Lavender was furious. Hermione revealed to me later that the reason it took so long was Seamus had a hard time functioning.

Two weeks ago Trinity and her mother agreed to a betrothal to Harry. Harry immediately went to the ministry and got the betrothal approved. They're waiting the year out and will be married when she graduates. It's not nearly as bad as everyone else's. Practically, I think that Trin and Harry will do well together, if they don't bite each other's heads off. It's a good arrangement. Well, as good as can be expected.

"I wanted to stay," I assured. "But leaving is the best choice. I'll be officially graduated after tonight and I can't impose on McGonagall any more."

"But America is so far away," Trinity whined.

"You have family in Canada, it's not so far from there."

I finished packing my bedding and moved onto my clothes. I sighed, my clothes would never fit the same after twins. I was not showing- yet. If I pressed, thought, I could feel something hard but yielding under the muscle and skin.

I was stirred from my momentary reverie by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Trinity said, putting down the books she was sorting.

My husband was revealed.

"Miss Smith," he greeted.

"Trinity," she corrected.

"Good evening, Severus," I said, rolling my eyes to the ceiling.

"Trinity, Ginevra," he sneered, "I've come to collect my wife. I've something for her."

"Stop being so snarky," I replied, getting up from the floor. I turned to Trinity, "I'll be back in time to get ready for graduation."

"I'll have you know that I am not snarky. I'm operating on lack of sleep," he grumbled as we entered the hall.

"You've not been here since Friday afternoon. Where have you been?"

"Boston," was his simple answer.

"And where are we going?"

He answered, "Boston," when we came to the Entrance Hall.

"Portkey?"

"Yes." He pulled out a rather deflated looking quaffle. It glowed violet with the portus incantation and Severus nudged me forward to touch it.

I had a softer landing this time, on my feet in the foyer of our flat. It was night in Boston and the lights were lit. The house was as empty as before, though, but with some classical music playing somewhere nearby. I could imagine my daughters playing here, me doing my school-work here, Severus blowing up potions here. I grew warm at the thought of making love here. Soft music played from somewhere upstairs.

"This sounds so familiar, Severus. What is it?" I inquired.

"_Moonlight Sonata_. How's the packing progressing?" He asked me, taking my hand and pulling me toward the stairs.

"Quite well, actually," I replied.

"I've only moved in what I'd like to show you," Severus said, a shy smile lighting his face.

I started to question but Severus placed a finger over my lips.

"Close your eyes, Ginevra."

I obeyed, a quizzical look on my face. I head the door in front of me and then the feel of his hands on my back, guiding me. My footfalls echoed softer as he positioned me in the carpeted room. I smiled, the anticipation mounting.

"Severus?" I called out.

"Don't open your eyes yet!" I heard his voice across the room and I laughed quietly.

Suddenly I realized where the music was from. The tinny first strains started again and I realized that it was my mother's music box. I had fallen asleep hundreds if not thousands of times in my childhood to it. The soothing lullaby caressed my worn nerves and relaxed me where I stood. I could imagine the box as clear as if it were in front of my eyes. It was about five inches by eight inches and made of a dark cherry wood. There were scratches and dings, but Mum had kept it polished. A pattern of inlaid mother-of-pearl adorned the lid. I could almost feel the smooth satin that lined the inside on my hands although I was not touching it.

"Severus?" I whispered, feeling choked up.

"You can open them now."

I gasped in shock as I registered what was before me. The four walls of the room were painted a soft sage green and there were long white Chinese shades over the windows. The chair-rail, base and cornice moldings were painted bright white, mirroring the color of the two twin cradles. I was speechless as I ran my fingers over the fine wood-work. They stood on tall legs attached to long, curving blades. Two sheer, circular canopies fell from the ceiling above each cradle to about two feet from the carpet. Reaching out, I barely brushed a shiny silver mobile and the soft jingle added to the music of my childhood.

Turning to Severus, who was sitting in a rocking chair by the changing table, I tried to speak.

"Speechless?" he asked, setting the music box to the side.

Instead of answering, I kissed him. He reciprocated slowly, as if he was surprised. His lips were smooth and free from chapping; they felt amazing against mine. His left hand snaked up my side and to my neck where he lightly stroked my skin with his long, cool fingers. When I could no longer breathe, I pulled away after a moment, and rested my head against his collarbone. His heart was beating hard under his frockcoat. I smiled when I felt his lips descend to my forehead. His left hand came across from my waist and it planted palm down across my slightly rounded tummy.

Severus pulled back and kneeled down in front of me. He had a silly little crooked smile as he pulled up my tee-shirt.

"Hey Girls. You had better hurry up, I'm getting impatient. You don't want Daddy to get impatient."

I snorted and wound my fingers in his hair. He laid a kiss below my belly button, the whiskers on his chin tickled me and I couldn't help but laugh. Severus pulled away for a fraction of a second but quickly attacked my sides and belly with his fingers.

"Severus! No!" I shrieked, trying to pry his hands away. We ended up in a heap on the soft gray carpet moments later.

"Say 'uncle'! Say 'uncle', Ginny," he demanded as my body convulsed with laughter.

"Uncle! Uncle! You win," I gasped. We laid on the floor for a few minutes before I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I told you once and I'll tell you again. You're my husband. I'll kiss you when I like."

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The flash of a camera caught my eye as I walked to my designated seat in the Great Hall. I looked over and flashed a smile at Colin, who happily took another shot. The Hall looked lovely, with long vines of ivy swag and white flowers all over. The graduating class' family and friends sat toward the back where we all sat to the front. The staff table had been removed and in its place was just a simple podium. McGonagall was standing behind it, looking more stately than usual. Severus, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick and Professor Altair, the heads of house, were seated behind her, all wearing their black teaching robes.

"Looks nice, doesn't it?" Edmund Roverto, my fellow Gryffindor seventh year, had leaned to his left to comment to me.

"It does, I wish some of the balls could have looked like this instead of having bats and cobwebs at Halloween," I smiled.

We weren't allowed to talk for long, though, because Professor McGonagall had stood up and was signaling to quiet.

"Family," She started, looking out at the audience, "Friends, Professors and Staff, thank you for coming. We have scheduled this special graduation for the students that have chosen to take their NEWTS early due to the recently implanted marriage law. I am very proud of this group of students because they have overcome so many hurtles in the past several weeks and lived to tell the tale. Because there are so few students that are graduating I would like to take some time to speak about each in turn. To speak on behalf of Miss Marcia Blaine is her head of house, Filius Flitwick."

McGonagall stepped aside for the bubbly little charms professor. Flitwick did his piece on Marcia and then stepped down for McGonagall to announce the next. I zoned out after the third, Yvonne Hargrove nee Spencer's. She had been in the second round of arrangements. I was contemplating the look on Severus' face. He looked dreadfully bored. I was moderately surprised when they called my name; I was used to being at the very end of the list. With my new last name I was further forward in line.

"I will be speaking for Mrs. Ginevra Snape," My former head of house's voice ran crystal clear through the hall. "The Weasley family is a delight. We've graduated, or tried to at least," she gave a pointed look to Fred and George, "numerous ancestors, her parents and six older brothers. I feel that Ginny imbues all the best traits of her family members. Her father's curiosity and her mother's compassion. Bill's intellect, Charlie's athleticism and Percy's ambition. She holds Fred's humor and George's ability to temper people. She shares Ronald's courage, but most of all she is all Ginny. No one could say that she isn't her own woman. Not a one of her family members could quite be her because she is totally unique. She holds the best of all houses in the palm of her hand and uses them to the best.

Although Ginny is a lovely combination of all houses, she's a true Gryffindor. Her spunk and enthusiasm and general zest for life are unrivaled. I was her head of house for six years and I am pleased to say that I know her. Ginny will be headed off to The Corey Institute in Salem, Mass. in another month. She will be studying in the nuerowizardry program. She should be very proud of her accomplishments, a number of others include: Prefect for three years, Quidditch Captain, although she was in a position where she chose to step down quickly, Order of Merlin Second Class recipient and Purple Heart Combatant, awarded at the Battle of Godric's Hollow last year for a rather severe bout of the cruiciatus curse. Another title that she will soon hold is even dearer: Mother.

I will ask you to please welcome into your magical community as a full member Mrs. Ginevra Snape."

I groaned at the use of my formal name, but smiled as the gathered crowd clapped. I sat through the last two, Jane Stratton and June Zabini, politely but inside I just wanted to get up. It was quite boring hearing about people that I didn't know that well and weren't in my year, in some cases. Anyways, I was glad when it was over.

Our names were read off, again, and I went up and took my scroll from McGonagall. I received a tight hug from Minerva, an excited little giggle and kiss on the hand from Professor Flitwick, a hug from Professor Sprout, a moderately awkward handshake with Severus and a warm hug from Professor Altair. I smiled back at my family. Mum burst into a fresh wave of tears and Dad gave me a happy little wave. Fred reached over and gave George a wet willie and they almost started wrestling in the aisle. I stifled my laughter until we were dismissed and I ran back to my family.

"Oh Ginny! You look so lovely!" Mum cried as she embraced me. She looked over my shoulder and abruptly let me go to hug someone else, "Severus, you'll take good care of Ginny, won't you?"

I turned around and my rather diminutive mother had Severus around the waist and he wasn't going to be getting anywhere. I saw him crack a very small smile.

"Of course I will. But with her hexes, she won't need my help."

"But you're going so far away!" Mum cried, burying her face in Severus' robes. He looked mortified.

"Ginevra will be fine," he ground out. He looked rather constipated. I covered my mouth with my hand to stop from laughing. Fred and George didn't hold back.

"Oh, Darling-" Started Fred.

"Professor Snape, will you-" George chimed in.

"Take care of our-"

"Ittle Wittle Ginny Winny?" they finished together.

I socked Fred hard in the arm and George looked put out so I hit him too. I stopped listening to Severus and Mum when I got swept at from behind with a flank of brothers. Charlie and Ron grabbed me from the sides and Bill, Percy, George and Fred crowded in around them.

"Ginny Sandwich!" Charlie cried and they all squeezed in really quick, crushing me in the middle of them. This was quite an old game. I knew if I curled into a ball and went to the ground they would loose me.

"Mssrs Weasley!" I heard Severus' voice booming over the laughter of my brothers and I, "You will cease this bludgeoning immediately! Ginevra is with child and if you hurt my children, you will die in the slowest most agonizing way possible!"

"Sorry, Severus. It's just an old family game," Bill shrugged, looking chastened although Severus and he were too close in age to have him as a professor.

"Ginny Sandwich," George mumbled. He was old enough to have Severus as a professor.

I smiled and put my arms around my brothers. We must have looked the sight, all of us with our red hair and freckles.


	13. Right on Target

**Thank you to all my reviewers thus far! A big thank you to everyone that stuck with me through my writer's block slump. I have finally figured out where this fic is going—we have a conflict as you will see during this chapter.**

Autumn faded to Winter at The Burrow. The leaves fell from the trees and floated to the ground, soon to be replaced by snow-drifts. October made way for November and December flowed naturally from November. My past two months had been spent getting to know my husband further, and fighting quite a bit. It was nice to be at home for the last time with my parents. When I left The Burrow, I knew I would never be returning. I couldn't. I took a job with Fred and George in Diagon Alley, helping them with the shop. Severus gave them a very stern talking-to. He said that I was to not be a test subject under penalty of death. He seemed to be giving that speech to my brothers quite a bit lately.

Severus gave his notice to McGonagall the first Monday in November. Hermione would be taking over his post for the second part of the year. She was ecstatic to be teaching for real, instead of being an assistant professor.

The most exciting things to happen were in Boston. Severus and my Dad spent weeks at the loft erecting the most powerful wards that they could think of. I was finally allowed in to start my decorating the third week in November. I tackled the dark dining room first. First the burgundy walls went and I replaced them with a periwinkle blue. I managed to salvage a large blue, silver, gold and red Persian rug from Spinner's End. It went under the table, the monstrous one that I had salvaged from Spinner's End. I stripped off all of the dark varnish and painted on a new, lighter one. The matching buffet came too, but I insisted on getting rid of the ugly wine glasses he had. In other rooms, I brought the furniture from the sun-room to put in the informal eating area. Severus begged for the two black leather chairs from the cramped sitting-room. I gave them to him, on the condition that they stay in his study. The desk that had been in his bedroom also went into his study. I claimed the two upholstered chairs for the sitting room and I managed to transfigure the ugly burgundy sofa to match the chairs. I put an old trunk draped with some fabric that Bill had brought me from Egypt in front of the sofa. A piece of glass over it made it into a handsome coffee table. We scrapped his bed, giving it to Tonks who had admired it when she was helping me clean the house out. We set up the bookshelves in Severus' temporary bedroom. It would be a library when we decided to move to the master bedroom.

The first week in December, Severus took me to get the furniture for the master bedroom. We went to a nearby muggle store called Target. This wasn't our first trip out into the muggle world. We had gone the week before to a menswear store in London. We decided when he wore the same outfit three muggle outings in a row that he needed more than one casual set of clothes. He was currently wearing a soft black cashmere sweater that I've stolen more than once since he bought it, with a dark red collared shirt underneath. What were best though, were the dark jeans. He scoffed when we bought them but I caught him admiring his own arse in the mirror this morning. He had his own shoes on, but the average person couldn't tell that they were dragon skin.

"They have cleaning supplies, Severus. What makes you think that they will have beds?" I asked as we walked in. He smiled and pulled out a red cart from the line.

"This is what muggles call a super-store," he explained, "They carry large amounts of items. Other super-stores are Wal-Mart and K-Mart. Those are called discount stores. They are highly inexpensive and their wares show it. Americans love Target because they can find 100 silk clothing and quality food, sturdy furniture and toys all in one place. It's quite an anomaly."

"So they have good stuff but still in a super-store environment?"

"Ten points."

"How do they find their way around?" I asked in wonder. We passed a wall of swimming suits and I stared, "It's December, Severus. Why do they have those out?"

"I cannot assume to know the habits of American women." He shrugged.

"How did you hear of this place?" I asked as we passed the ample lingerie section. I was immediately in shopping mode.

"I am a half-blood, you know. I know how to survive in muggle situations."

We wound around the shopping center, passing fine jewelry, shoes and luggage. I made Severus stop at the pet supplies, though, because I couldn't resist buying Guinevere a stuffed cat-nip mouse. Severus sighed; he claimed he wasn't an animal person. I knew different because Guinevere was staying with him while I was at The Burrow to get acquainted. I have it on good authority that they've taken more than one nap together.

"This," he said, gesturing to the section that took up a corner of the store, "is what they call the Global Bazaar. They have furniture and accessories from all over the globe for sale here. The only thing that we cannot find here is the bed. They only sell those online. I'll take you to another muggle phenomenon for that."

"Where?"

"Ikea."

"Where?"

"Actually, I might introduce you to the World Wide Web and go shopping online."

"Start over, please."

"Well, the muggles have this invention called the internet. You can go shopping and talk to friends and colleagues from your home."

"I like that. But explain more later. I want to go shopping," I said, rushing forward. In this section we picked out a brocade quilt with dark jewel toned pieces that were shot with gold. The piece's colors were cerulean blue, plum, Slytherin green and dark garnet red. We got the matching pillow cases too. We picked out two bedside tables that stood on short, curved legs with a round top. I also found a scarlet canopy that I just fell in love with. It was circular at the top and the sheer fabric curved around the top and opened at the front. Severus sighed, but he let me put it in the cart. In bedding, we found sheets. Severus insisted on black, I chose dark purple.

We walked away a few hundred dollars lighter.

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The second week in December came about with me sitting in the middle of the sitting room floor amid boxes and packaging materials. I leaned back and sighed; we had too much stuff. It was quiet this afternoon in Boston. The sun was shining on the freshly laid snow outside the windows. The only problem that I faced was hunger. The refrigerator was completely empty and I didn't know my way about town enough to go buy groceries. I did the only thing I could do. I called the one person that I knew would have an idea of where to go.

"Hello, may I speak with Adrian Pucey, please?" I asked, my face stuck into the coals of the fireplace. The receptionist asked me to wait a moment and I did, the flames licking at my face pleasantly.

"Adrian Pucey speaking," said the flame on my end of the connection.

"Hi Adrian, it's Ginny Snape."

"Hey Ginny, everything going all right over there?" He asked.

"Yes, everything is lovely," I assured him. "I've been unpacking all morning. See, the problem is that I don't even know where to start to find a grocer. I'm starving nearly to death!"

"I know of a few places. I'm going on lunch in a few minutes if you would like me to show you."

"It's not necessary-" I started.

"It's fine. I can't have an expecting woman carrying all her own purchases. Let me get cleaned up here and I'll just floo over, all right?"

"Thank you, Adrian. It's very kind of you."

"No sweat. See you in a moment," He said, his head disappearing.

I went upstairs to my temporary bedroom and rooted around in my overnight bag. I was staying here now all the time. Severus would be too, except Scotland's on a completely different time zone and his sleep schedule would be monstrous. I selected a pair of jeans that I had stolen from Hermione. She was a little hippier than I so hers were fitting me now as my body stretched with the weight of twins. I pulled off my favorite pair of Severus' sleep pants and changed my socks and underwear. I sat on the bed and started to wiggle into Hermione's jeans. When I got them up, I found that they could not button.

"No! Not happening!" I cried, giving a little shriek. I pulled them off and considered my other options. I could magically alter them and risk them changing back. I could go round in pajamas all day. I could wear a dress in twenty degree weather. I groaned and got back into the pajama pants. Americans dressed far more casually any how.

"Ginny?" Called Adrian from downstairs

"I'll be down in a moment!" I yelled back. I smoothed my hair in the mirror and skipped out of the room. I braided my hair over my shoulder as I walked down the stairs. Adrian was waiting in the entry for me.

"You look radiant, as always," He flattered.

"Stop. I'm blowing up like a balloon," I sighed, getting my heavy coat from the hall closet.

"You're what, five months gone with twins?"

"Almost four. I told you I was blowing up."

"You're fine," He laughed, opening the door for me. "I thought I would take you to the Grocer I use. They do a delivery sevice. After your first trip, you can have them deliver the things you really love or need. Like milk, eggs and bread. Things like that. After you set up an account though, you can just do floo calls if you desperately need rum and raisin iced cream."

"You're a life saver, Adrian. Thank you so much. I also need to find a store where I can buy some, er, expandable clothing. You wouldn't be any help with that, would you?" I asked hopefully.

"Go clothes shopping with Ginny Weas-ah, yeah, sorry, Snape? Yeah, I'm sure we can find something for you." He said, his fair skin coloring.

"Are you ready?" I asked, winding my scarf about my neck.

"Apparate?"

"From the stairwell. There's a little alcove I've gotten rather fond of disappearing from."

"Lead on, my lady," he said, opening the front door for me. I led him to the stairwell between our apartment and the one belonging to the people I hadn't met and shut the door.

"How do you not get caught?" He asked, looking over the stair well.

"Help!" I screamed. He looked over at me quizzically. I put my finger to my lips and smiled. I looked through the window in the door into my shared hallway.

"We're good," I replied.

"Has anyone ever come running?"

"Yes," I laughed. "I told the woman that my babies had kicked for the first time and it was very frightening."

"And she was sympathetic?"

"She had four children."

"Ah. Well, would you mind side-along apparition? I assure you that I'm competent."

"I know. You wouldn't have been in the Order if you weren't. I trust you."

I stepped close to him and he put his arms around me. He smelled very different from Severus. Severus smelled like sandalwood and clean laundry, while Adrian smelled of musky cologne. We winked out of the stairwell and re-appeared in a little white room very similar to the international portkey room in Salem.

"Ergh, I hate that feeling," Adrian shuddered.

"Not my favorite either," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm OK, let's get going. We're at a travel point in Salem."

"Oh. That's why I thought it looked familiar," I laughed. We got our orange juice from the old woman in the atrium and she greeted Adrian by name.

"Who was that?" I asked once we got to the street.

"That was Suzie. I apparate from near New York City every day for either work or school and we've gotten to know each other. A lot of the people apparate there and then walk to school. It's only five or six blocks from here. Anyway, she's a really sweet lady. She knows a lot of people by name."

"So I can apparate there and just walk to school?" I said, wrapping my coat tighter against the wind.

"Some people do. The apparation point at school, I've found, is really quite crowded. Sometimes you're just stuck in limbo for more than ten minutes. It's rather disconcerting. And incredibly nauseating."

"And at the school's they don't have Suzie or orange juice, right?"

"Spot on. Now come this way, the grocer is only about two doors down."

**Don't tell me that you didn't see this coming. And don't flame, you'll like the ending anyhow. **


	14. The Belle of the Ball

**Wanted to take a moment to thank some of my reviewers: **

**Agar Loki, midnightangelofhate, DracoGinnylover24, Borolin, something.l1k3.laughter, Phillexican, Melijoy91, Little Miss Magic, Forsaken18, deedee10, saxofoonie, Moony and Padfoot R my dads, barbareba, madeline220, WhiteDragonHawk, PlagueHeart, ArticAngelzTX, PiperLeoEternally and LupinFan227. **

**And for all you guys that are on the alert list and have never reviewed…please?**

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_Per Sapientia quod Sanctimonia_

_-_

_The Rt. Hon. Viscount Wiltshire_

_Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy_

_Beg the honour of your presence_

_At Home_

_In honour of the engagement of_

_The Courtesy Viscount_

_Lord Lucius Draco Malfoy_

_To_

_Miss Lila Murasaki Kitamori-Moon_

_-_

_Thursday, the twenty-fourth of December_

_At half past eight o'clock_

_Malfoy Manor_

_Dancing_

"Severus!" I called from the sitting room in Boston, "Lucius has sent you something in a code of some sort!"

"Let me see," he said as he came in the room. I handed the thick cream colored parchment to him. He glared at me before slipping his pair of wire rimmed glasses out of his breast pocket. A wry grin slipped across his face as he read the missive.

"It seems to me that Lucius has pulled out all the stops for Draco's engagement party," He explained plainly, "And we're invited."

"Yes, thank you," I rolled my eyes, leaning back against the pillows, "I caught the words 'your presence', 'engagement' and the date."

"You're stumbling over the strange wording. I understand. This is snotty pure-blood for they're having a ball at the Manor for Draco and Miss Kitamori-Moon."

"How do I answer this?" I asked, shaking my head. He sat down on the settee beside me and handed it back.

"In the same manner that the invitation was extended."

"Severus, will you please just translate this line for line for me?" I snapped.

"But of course. The top line is his apothegm in Latin meaning 'through wisdom and charity'. The second and third line is just a rather fancy way of saying Lucius Malfoy. His great-great something or other was awarded with a peerage in the time of William the Conqueror, as he loves to say. He's a Viscount."

"So what is Draco? Official Ponce?"

"Courtesy Viscount, indicating that he is the eldest male heir. That is made apparent in lines seven and eight. Now, in line four, he's asking us to come to this event. 'At Home' means that he's having a ball. You know that by the bottom right corner, you see, it says dancing. The rest is rather apparent, correct?"

"I think that you earned the title of Official Ponce just now. Get on your knees so I can knight you."

"You're a deplorable little minx," he murmured, pulling the hair aside from my neck.

"I keep life interesting, don't I?" I giggled, his breath tickling my ear.

"That you do. With your heart and soft skin and sweet mouth and wide brown eyes."

I let my eyes drift shut and tried to contain my shiver. I tilted my head toward his voice, desperate for contact. I felt a quick breeze pass beside my cheek and I opened my eyes when I felt him get off the settee.

He had stood and was straightening his frock coat.

"I apologize, Ginevra. Sometimes the chemistry makes me forget my place," He said tightly. Two spots of pink had appeared high on his cheeks and his pupils were widely dilated.

"And what is your place?" I asked, leaning back against an arm.

"Ginny," he warned.

"Don't warn me, I know what I'm doing," I spat back.

"You don't want me to forget my place. You think you do, but you don't."

"And who are you to presume to tell me what I do and do not want?"

"Someone terribly concerned with your psyche."

"Tell me you want me," I said, standing up. I felt a flutter of insecurity over my much changed physique but the look on Severus' face drove all thought of that from my mind.

"Please," He choked, his hands fisting at his sides.

"Say 'pretty please with a cherry on top'."

"Ginny…"

"What if I say please?"

"Then I don't know if I could…" he trailed off, his eyes resolutely following my hands as I dropped the strap of my undershirt off my shoulder. I ran my fingers over my collarbones and his eyes followed.

I dropped my hand to my side and his gaze snapped back to my eyes.

"Please."

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"Ginny," pleaded Hermione, "Ginny, please!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere! I look like bloody Slughorn!"

"You can't stay in the bathroom forever."

"I can," I said, crossing on ankle over the other from my perch on the sink. "I can and I will."

"I'm sure you look lovely, Gins," she said, changing tactics.

I snorted, "If Hippogriffs look lovely in dresses, yes!"

"Fine!" I heard Hermione cry, "I'm getting your husband, you pig-headed wimp!"

I gaped at Hermione's declaration. I turned toward the mirror behind me. My hair was all right, the fringe was lying straight for once and the back was smooth. My face even looked better than usual. I had on golden eyeshadow and hints of brown mascara with pale pink lips. I had even dusted my cheeks and collarbones with shimmery gold dust.

It was the dress.

Dark blue in color, the chiffon fabric settled limply across my now enhanced bosom. The draped cowl neck looked pulled oddly across my shoulders. There was no waist seam and it fell awkwardly over my still-small-for-twins belly. I hated it. I should have known better than to try to transfigure myself something. I think that the stupid concoction was better off as an over-large tee shirt.

I mentally steeled myself for the onslaught as I heard foot-falls marking Severus' entrance.

"Ginevra," he growled, "We have five minutes to get to Lucius'. You'd best have a life or death emergency."

I flung open the bathroom door unceremoniously. Severus stood in the hall, leaning against my old bedroom door.

"I look _huge_."

"I see."

"You're an unmitigated cad and I hate you!" I yelled, shoving past him into the room. I closed the door and immediately wished I was in Boston instead of the Burrow. At least in Boston I could have tried to find another dress.

I heard the deep rumble of Severus' laughter from the hall.

"Ginevra, let me in. I can help you."

"Promise you won't call me fat again?"

"Ginevra," he warned.

"Do you?"

"You called yourself fat. I just didn't disagree."

I shrieked, pounding my fist against the door.

"Yes! Now let me in so I can fix that circus-tent of a dress!"

I let him in and flopped back on the bed.

"Take it off," he commanded.

"What?"

"I can't do anything while it's on your body. So remove the bloody dress!"

I stood up and pulled said offending garment over my head. Severus eyed my full coverage slip and camisole speculatively. I threw the dress at his head as hard as I could. In quick order he turned it black and the chiffon to velvet. He removed the sleeves and formed a halter. The bodice dipped low in the back now and the skirt was lengthened to floor length.

"Put it on," he said, throwing it back.

I, of course, did so in a record amount of time. I had to admit that Severus' stream-lined concoction was much more flattering than my ship-sail dress. My pregnancy looked almost…sensual.

I slipped into the gold flats I had packed with the blue dress before running my fingers through my hair one last time. I went quickly down the stairs to meet the group of us going together. Fred and George stood by Hermione, who was seated on the sofa wearing a set of robes in claret purple. Ron stood towards the doorway, chatting with his date, a shy Slytherin a year above me, Daphne Greengrass. Harry and his flavor of the week, a very excited looking blonde that I couldn't place sat in Dad's favorite armchair by the stairs. Severus sat scowling by the hearth.

"I must say, Gins, that dress is a vast improvement," smirked Hermione in a very un-Hermione way.

"Stuff it," I replied lightly, summoning my wrap. "Everyone ready?"

Ron openly gasped in disbelief. Harry dumped said blonde off of his lap and stood up smiling.

"Yes, majesty. We're ready," Harry said, summoning both of their belongings. I made my way over to Severus and he managed a small smile for me.

"Am I still a deplorable little minx?" I chided.

"Of course. Come here," he replied, pouring a bit of floo powder into my hand. "You go on through first."

I looked over to see Hermione disappear closely followed by Jacob.

"Malfoy Manor!" I cried, letting the flames carry me away.

When I stepped out I was quickly blasted free of soot by the waiting House Elf. I stepped aside for Severus to come through and he got cleaned up.

He looked rather handsome tonight. His hair was tucked neatly back into a queue and was freshly shaved. His outfit was not very different from the usual blacks. The frock coat cut away on his chest and it was topped with a slick silver cravat. The buttons on his coat were silver instead of the _per usual _cloth covered ones.

He gave me a look that definitely was not a smile but I'd learned to read his face. It meant that if he were a normal person he would be smiling when the lines between his eyes recessed and his eyelids were less open than usual. He put his hand on the small of my back, his fingertips chilly against my skin.

The house was sumptuous and as gaudy as I had expected. Severus led me to the foyer where Drack, Lucius and Lila Murasaki Kitamori-Moon stood receiving their guests. Lila looked all right emotionally. She didn't seem overly stressed out or self conscious to be marring into this family. As Severus made his exchanges with Draco and Lucius I moved on to Lila.

"Hello," I greeted, extending my hand to her. Cool blue eyes moved slowly onto me from her fiancé. She took my hand; her fingers were freezing. Good Morgana, she was a perfect Malfoy candidate. "I'm Ginevra Snape. I went to school with Draco and fought with Lucius."

"How do you do?" She asked, her voice low and drawling. Severus had told me that the elite classes say 'how do you do' to find out whether you're part of the aristocracy or not. If you say, 'very well this evening, thank you' they know you're not in the club. I pulled the right card.

"And how do you do, Miss Kitamori-Moon?" Her eyes narrowed even further at me and then relaxed.

"You're Severus' wife," she stated, jerking her head toward him. A thick curtain of jet black hair fell over her shoulders, which was bare excepting the two tiny straps holding up her form-fitting red satin dress. "Lucius and Draco speak very well of him."

"He's a good man," I agreed, looking at Lila again, this time closer. She was stunning, that was apparent, and so was her lineage. She was half-asian of some kind, evident by her straight black hair, narrow almond eyes and high cheekbones. But she must be half-Irish, by her second name, Moon, and the piercing blue eyes and light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and shoulders.

I was not given another moment to talk to her because Severus finished his greetings and came beside me. He pressed a hand to his abdomen and slightly bent his torso toward her. She extended her hand palm down to him and smiled for the first time, showing off white, even teeth. Severus looked about to swoon at her when he kissed the back of her hand. I watched with disdain as they made their greetings. Eventually we walked out of the foyer and into a drawing room for hors d'oeuvres.

"My God, she was stunning!" Harry was whispering to Ron.

"There was something about her that was just…Fuck!" Ron replied.

Hermione rolled her eyes at me before launching into her explanation, "Lucius told me that she's a quarter Succubi."

I picked up a crystal goblet full of Elderflower Cider and stood back to watch the exchange. Ron was going red by now and he looked rather comical.

"She's a quarter what?" Ron gaped, piling canapés onto his plate.

"Succubi. She's like an Asian form of a Veela. Actually, they are the same thing but folk-lore has them separated into Veela and Succubus. I wonder-"

"Hermione," Harry stopped her, "You're telling me that the reason every man in the room fell at her feet is because she's a Subbus?"

"Succubus. The male form is an Incubus."

"Like that band?"

"Yes, Ron. Like the band. Now I'm going to go talk to someone with whom I can hold an intelligent conversation," she snorted. "You know you've got a bit of something on your upper lip, Ron?"

She turned to me, "Boys."

I smiled in agreement, surprisingly thankful that the reason Severus fawned over her was because she was a demon, basically. I said as much to Hermione.

"By Jove," she said, miming a heart attack, "you care for the man!"

I simply smiled, enjoying the feel of the cider going down my throat. A tap on my shoulder and a turn revealed George and Fred.

"By Jove, Hermione's right!" Fred gasped, miming the same heart attack.

"Is it possible that-"

"Our darling little Ginny Winny-"

"Can like a big greasy-"

"Overblown-"

"Arrogant-"

"Son of a-"

"Boys," I growled, twirling my wand between my fingers, "even though we're at a fancy ball I'll still hex you into oblivion."

"It's true," George gasped.

"She's in love." They both said before slapping high fives at each other.

The night wore on, from the hors d'oeuvres in the drawing room to live music and dancing in a ball room. Soon the men were retreating to brandy and cigars in the library to, as Daphne Greengrass described it, 'retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe.'

The men returned to the ball room around 10 o'clock and the dancing started up again. This time Lila and Draco lead the opening number, a light waltz. I had not danced yet this evening, I had gotten a little headache during hors d'oeuvres and sat it out. Severus finally found me; I hadn't seen him since after appetizers, actually, I hadn't seen either he or Lucius. They were probably off discussing something of relative import.

"Hello, Madame Snape," he said, taking my hand and kissing it.

"Professor," I said saucily.

"Would you care to dance?"

"I would have loved to dance after hors d'oeuvres. Where did you and Lucius go?" I asked, standing up and letting him lead me to the floor in the center of the room.

He swept me into the wide dance, his hands warmer on my skin this time.

"Lucius and I had a marriage contract to discuss."

"Really, who's?" I asked, whirling past Draco.

"Hermione and Mr. Finnegan's."

"What do you two have to do with that?"

"It's more like what does Lucius have to do with it," he said, a wolfish smile on his face. "Turn your head to your right."

The sight that met my eyes made my heart feel ever so much warmer. Hermione and Lucius were standing off in the far corner, their eyes on no one else. They were talking softly as they nibbled strawberries. Hermione looked down often, like she was flattered and Lucius looked nervous for the first time in his life.

"What of Professor Altair? I thought he and Hermione…" I trailed off, tearing my eyes away from the obviously flirting couple.

"They are friends. Much like Harry and Ron are to her. He admires her greatly and he wanted my opinion on the situation."

"They're sweet looking," I said, turning my head to them again. Hermione had consented to dance with him and they were dancing modestly, with no fancy spins or dips. It was rather different than how I would expect Lucius to dance- unpretentious and not ostentatious.

A lively reel came on, the first traditional dance of the evening.

"Would you like to dance to this one?" I asked, smiling broadly.

"Ah," he blanched. It was obviously not his style. He was saved from having to answer by a tap on my shoulder.

I turned, meeting the clear eyes of Adrian Pucey. He had snow in his hair; he was obviously a late-comer.

"May I cut in?" he asked magnanimously, "Reels don't seem your type, Professor."

"I'd love to," I answered, giving Severus a nod before letting Adrian pull me all around the floor in the vigorous and animated dance. The fiddles and bohdrahn whistled in my ears as my hair fanned out around me.

I danced and danced, and I felt alive and vivacious.

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**For the NC-17 pm me!**


	15. Eve, Christmas Eve

I am terribly sorry for the delay. I've been in the fine Edinburgh, home of our darling Jo.

Speaking of Jo, I don't own any of these characters, except Raquel Delacour, Lila, and Trinity.

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"Thank you for the dance," I said as we sat down at a near table. I fanned myself with my hand and sipped from a goblet of water in a way that I hoped was not too greedy.

"Always my pleasure. You're a fine dancer," Adrian replied as he stood up.

"Are you leaving?" I asked.

"Yes, soon. I promised Draco that I would show up and help him with Lila; she's a pistol. I've stayed an hour, I think that's enough."

"Well then, thank you for the dance and Happy Christmas."

"Walk me out?" he asked tossing his head toward the front door.

"Didn't you floo?"

"No, I apparated. It's easier to do transcontinental apparition than floo."

"You would be in America, wouldn't you," I mused, getting up. "I'll walk you to the door and no farther. I won't be catching cold, my mother would have my head for it."

"Deal."

He opened the door for me to slip through when we reached the far end of the ball room. We walked past the stairs and to the front door, which was very close.

"Happy Christmas, Adrian," I said as he took his cloak from the waiting elf.

"Wait, I've got something for you," he said, reaching into his pocket.

"I don't have anything for you though!"

"It's not much. Reciprocation is not required, Ginny," He replied magnanimously. Adrian thrust a thick cream colored envelope at me. It was marked with a silver seal at the back. "Open it later."

"All right." I put the envelope into my clutch. "Well, have a safe journey. Do you have somewhere to be on Christmas?"

"I do. My sister lives in Liverpool and I'll be with her and her two kids and girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" I questioned.

"Yeah. Rhiannon, my sister and Daisy, her girlfriend have been together since their Hogwarts days. They've adopted a Chinese girl and an Indian boy."

"Are they magical, the children, I mean."

"Yeah. Monica levitated a ball when she was just a year old," his face flushed. It was obvious these kids meant a lot to him. "She's ten now and going to Hogwarts next year. James is eight and I've been teaching him how to be a real chaser. I tried with Monica, but she doesn't like brooms much."

"I've got to be getting back. I'm sure they'll be wondering where I've gone off to."

"I understand. Happy Christmas, Ginny."

I realized then that we were standing rather close together. My only thoughts were, 'Morgana, he's going to try to kiss me'. I smiled up at him quickly before folding my arms around him. He held me for a moment and then turned and opened the door. One last dazzling smile later and he was gone. Did I want him to kiss me? My heart was racing as I turned away from the door.

"Charming, isn't he?" came Severus' voice from the alcove below the stairs.

"He's nice," I said tightly.

"You seem to like him."

"You seem to like to follow me," I snapped back. I turned on my heel and started to make for the ball room again.

"I'm a jealous man, Ginevra. You've known this from the start."

"You've nothing to be jealous of, Severus. You're just working yourself into a fit over nothing."

"Ah, yes. The denials. It didn't look like nothing when you were dancing with him."

"Morgana! You're just looking for things now," I said, closing the door behind me.

"Ginny!" Hermione cried, waving to me. I crossed to her, my shoes making tapping noises on the floor. "Are you ready to go? We've got to be back at the Burrow for midnight."

"I'm ready," I said lightly.

"Are you all right? You look rather pale." she asked.

"I'm fine. Well, Severus is driving me up a bleeding wall."

"I saw him follow you and Adrian out."

"He seems to think that Adrian and I…"

"Ah," she said shortly. "I get it."

I made to get away to the floo to go to the Burrow when Hermione touched my arm, "Was he right?

"What?"

"In thinking that there was something between yourself and Adrian."

I faltered in my speech and colored, things that I'm sure did not look helpful to my situation, "No."

I steeled myself before going to Severus. For the sake of my children, I would make the choice. I would choose Severus.

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This year, Christmas was a big deal at the Burrow. Mum had all of her children home, in addition to guests. We were all terrified of letting Mum down, so we invited extras in case there were no-shows. As it turned out, they all showed and _everyone _had invited someone else.

Gabrielle, Fleur's sister, and Raquel, their Mother, showed up with three bottles of French Champagne and plenty of arrogance to go around. At least in the case of Raquel. Gabrielle, now 16, was swept up a hairs breath from instantly by Fred and George, who wooed her with chocolates. She seemed to find it amusing when she sprouted rainbow hued eyebrows.

Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet arrived together and joined George by the fire where he was popping corn. Fred was still busy with Gabrielle.

The entire Order of the Phoenix was there, including Mad-Eye. McGonagoll and Severus soon entered a sparring match over the uses of Transfiguration in Potions, while Remus made doe eyes at Tonks who was trying to help Mum in the kitchen. Dad, in his easy chair, was talking toasters with Mr. Granger. He's started to understand plugs, so toasters were his new thing.

"So tell me again why it's essential for the bread to spring up at the end?"

Trinity was there, to my joy, and we spent part of the evening fending off Draco and Harry, who were affectionate drunks.

"Ginny, darling," Harry slurred, his arm draped over the back of my chair, "Why did we ever break up?"

"Harry," I said plainly, "The war ended and you got on Pansy Parkinson at a victory party."

"That doesn't mean I didn't _love _you."

"Harry," Draco quipped from his position on the rug, "Why did you sleep with Pansy? She was _my _girlfriend."

"Two years before, maybe," Trinity giggled, the sparkles on her gold top reflecting in her pupils.

"But all's well. I'm going to marry you, my pureblood darling." He stabbed blindly at Trinity's arm and then gave her a goofy smile.

I looked over at my own half-blood darling and he didn't even look up from his discussion with Dad.

The other part of my evening was spent discussing at length the fabulous romp Severus and I had the week before.

"So, why haven't you done it again?" Trinity asked, her eyes wide.

"Trust me, I would have again if he hadn't spent the past, oh, forever at Hogwarts training the replacement professor."

"His, ah, cock. It was really that big?"

"Trinity!"

"What? I want to know!"

"My father is across the room!"

"Debating with Professor Snape. Might'n I ask the bearer?" She grinned and made to get up.

"Trinity. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes. Severus Snape's cock is still the same size."

"Thank you. Thank you, that's what I wanted to know. Now, since it's almost two in the morning and people are saying their goodbyes—"

I looked around and she was right. Lucius and Draco were gone, as were McGonagoll , Raquel Delacour and Moody. Gabrielle and Fred sat on the stairs, talking in quiet voices. They seemed to be plotting.

"—you aught to go take advantage of that monster."

I had the gall to look scandalized before smiling broadly. I caught Severus' eye and gave him a small smile. He scowled, which I took to be an acknowledgement.

Trinity chuckled, before hugging me tightly.

"Go get 'em, Tiger."

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I convinced Severus to go back to Boston with me. We flooed from Mom's to London and from London to the apparation point a block from the house. It was almost nine-thirty in Boston, and freezing. It was dark, and snow was falling steadily, making the sidewalks slick.

"Severus," I said, holding a little tighter to his arm as I stepped on a glossy patch, "I don't have any feelings for Adrian."

"Ginevra, this is not necessary," he replied shortly.

"It is. I don't have any feelings for Adrian. Why would I? I have an exponentially more intelligent husband. He's rather attractive too."

He said nothing, but his cheeks turned rosy. It could have been from the chill as well though. We continued on our walk, in complete silence. We turned the corner, onto our street when my heels spun out from under me and I nearly took Severus down with me.

"Love, be careful!" he cried, sweeping me up into his arms, damsel in distress style.

"Oh! Put me down!"

"And let you almost kill yourself and our future children? I think not! Now, hold on tight."

He zipped out of our plane of existence and back in again, real quick, with a sharp pop. We landed in the stairwell outside our door a quarter second later.

"You know we're not supposed to apparate into the stairwell," I chastised as he set me down on my feet, which were rather sore.

"Well, all the better to woo you…"

"Severus! You're telling me that you've been wretched to me all evening and you want to make a pass at me?" I gaped as I pressed my hand to the door to take down the wards.

"How crass. I like to think that I'm seducing you."


End file.
